Evahulk
by Emperor Nescaro
Summary: When Dr. Banner's dark legacy is uncovered by NERV, Gendo begins exploiting it to his own ends. Even as other dark experiments of SEELE come to light, sending Tokyo-3 into chaos. Crossover with Ranma 1/2 and Genocyber kinda , editted by OrionPax09.
1. Chapter 1

Brain dead 12 ½ studios presents:  
Eva Hulk  
(Either the best idea I've ever had or the worst.)  
I own nothing that's going to be showing up anytime soon  
Okay this one…Well when I started it there was no other Evangelion She Hulk mix out there. Of course it happens the guy that wrote the other one both got here first and is a much better writer then I am but what the heck I've already made a fool of myself with this on deviant art so why not? Oh by the by if you see some similarities to OrionPax09's writing well he consented to be my editor for this fic, here's hoping the mental scarring will be minimal. One more thing, we're starting at the Jet Alone bit (But don't expect a dialogue transcript), since till then things aren't hugely different, and after…Well you'll see.

Chapter 1: New developments  
(Or this time Jet Alone has a reason to be in the series)

The whole sordid affair began, or at least began to get more sordid, one morning in the fine (if your into really cheap real estate) city of Tokyo 3, more specifically in the household of one Misato Katsuragi, member of NERV, strategist, lover of all things alcoholic, source of wet dreams for the local boys, and professional slob on a good day.

That morning, as was usual, her roommates Shinji Ikari and Pen Pen were having breakfast, the boy muching on some jellied toast while the bird gulped down sardines in perfect synch. Shinji was, in many people's opinion, the Prozac poster child, pilot of Evangelion Unit 01, a 400 ft tall bio-mechanical death machine, who was the visual definition of a 98 pound weakling and founder of the Tokyo 3 whipping boy club. As for Pen Pen, he was warm water penguin who, other then being something of a boozehound had no real problems (unless you counted a slight sexual dysfunction that didn't really make much difference in this part of the world anyhow) and thus held the title of the happiest being in the city.

As the two of them ate, almost halfway through breakfast, a blurry-eyed would Misato stumble into the room clad in her usual sleep wear basically short shorts a halter top and a vest. As always, she was a sight, showing a fair amount of skin, but as she was so obviously in that blurry zone between awake and asleep, her natural attractiveness was rather muted.

"Morning…" she mumbled after yawning heavily. Soon she was sitting at the table, chugging down traditional beer at a speed normally only possible if the laws of physics were drastically altered. "Alright! That's the way to start the day!" Shinji just sighed, as he did a lot these days. Naturally Misato noticed. "What's bothering you?"

"Do you always have to do that in the morning?" he asked quietly. "It's embarrassing."

"You got a problem with tradition?" she said folding her arms.

"No but I'm pretty sure sake's the only liquor that's a breakfast tradition…"

"Well there's still such a thing as doing it in spirit." Another sigh was the only reaction she got.

"Well I'm finished." said Shinji, who then set about cleaning things up, "Oh by the way, are you really coming to that parent meeting?"

"Of course I am. You are part of my job."

"So that's all it is to you…"

"Huh?"

"Oh, nothing…" At that moment, the doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of the idiot duo as know as Toji and Kensuke, Shinji's friends from school. Shinji quickly made his way to the door, naturally nearly being knocked over by the two masses of hormones that his friends tended to be if there was even a vague chance of Misato being around (one can hardly blame them) as soon as he opened it.

"Morning, Shinji," they said in duplicate. "Hey, Misato! We're leaving now!"

"See you later boys!" she replied, throwing them a small but very effective tease.

Shinji just groaned and hustled his friends out the door.

"Wouldn't you know it?" mused Misato a moment later. "He's finally settling in and the first thing he does is start complaining." She grinned. "A boy after my own heart! Well, better get on with things."

Nothing much of note happened after that. Although Misato managed to annoy Shinji again when she showed up at school, barreling through the parking lot, coming within a hairsbreadth of crashing several times before finally skidding into a spot. As usual her fan club had rushed to the window, always looking for a chance to stare at her. She just smiled, throwing a quick 'V' sign and got on with things.

Then, after the meeting, it was time for the daily trip to NERV for the usual battery of tests. Which for Shinji meant long periods of time sitting around in the entry plug, essentially a tube that was usually filled with a rather foul smelling liquid, implanted in the neck of a giant, two-eyed, one-horned non-flying purple Angel-eater. As it often did at times like this, the young boy's mind wandered musing that despite the fact he'd been doing this for a while, he still knew next to no nothing about either the Eva or the Angels he fought with it.

_Just what is this thing anyway…? This entry plug smells a lot like blood but I feel so…comfortable in it…I just don't know… _he thought.

However his thoughts were soon interrupted by Doctor Ritsuko Akagi, NERV's chief scientist and poorly covered up peroxide blonde. "Okay Shinji we're done," she told him. Some time later, he had left the plug, changed into his regular clothes, and joined Misato and Ritsuko.

After a while he decided to strike up a conversation about one of the many things that had been bothering him since his arrival. "So," Shinji started as the three rode one of the numerous lifts, "Second impact wasn't a meteor?"

"Right. Most of what really happened has been buried in various cover-up ops. What really happened was that the First Angel was found in the artic. It woke up when an attempt to study it was made and….well we all know what happened after that…." Ritsuko explained before going back to pouring over the clipboard she was carrying.

"Wish they'd spend that kind of money on us," mumbled Misato. "We're the only ones that can fight the Angels and we're practically starving."

"Man cannot live by Eva alone," Ritsuko shrugged. _Except maybe the commander_, she added mentally. "Besides, taking care of all the refugees isn't cheap. Oh, that reminds me! Speaking of budgets, guess who's going to be the reps at the conference tomorrow?"

"Right," sighed Misato. "Lucky us."

"Can't be helped. Just be glad we didn't get stuck with what the Commander's doing."

---------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Shinji and Pen Pen were once again having breakfast, completely failing to notice that they were eating in synch with each other when they received a shock. Instead of dragging herself into the room in her usual morning daze, Misato entered the dining area wide awake and wearing a dress uniform that neither of them were even aware she had!

"Good morning," she spoke clearly to her rather dumbstruck housemate, not a hint of alcohol deprivation in her voice as she put her shoes on. "I probably won't be home until late tonight so go ahead and order something."

"Uh...Oh okay." Said Shinji still trying to recover from the sight of a put-together and utterly gorgeous Misato.

"Goodbye." And with that, the (for once all) business Captain was off. Her first stop was NERV, where she got a helicopter with Ritsuko, and was soon heading for old Tokyo.

"It's hard to believe..." she mumbled, looking out the window at the mostly ruined city. "That this place used to be a thriving capital."

"Yes," Ritsuko agreed.

"Why hold the conference here anyhow?"

Ritsuko just shrugged then added, "I frankly don't care enough to try to figure out these things."

"Good point. Let's just concentrate on getting through this." Some time later, the two sat alone at a large table surround by the much more crowded tables of everyone else involved in the project. With the possible exception of Misato, who was busy holding her head in her hands and trying not to fall asleep, they were all listening to the rather self-absorbed speaker prattle on.

When it finally came to question time, Ritsuko's hand shot up before the speaker even finished the announcement. "Ahh, the famous Dr. Akagi. So glad you could make it."

"Thank you," she responded, rising to her feet. "I'd like to ask something; isn't using a gamma reactor in a land-based weapon designed for hand-to-hand combat a bit dangerous?"

"It's seems more practical than a weapon that loses power after five minutes."

"Say what you want, but considering the lack of defense, aren't you taking a big risk?"

"Perhaps, but considering the mental damage done to the pilots of the Evangelion, and all that business with them going out of control, even if Jet Alone lacks an AT Field I'd say it's safer." Developing a rather nasty twitch, Ritsuko stared at the speaker in amazed irritation. As for Misato, whose temper was making itself known to her, was barely able to restrain herself from venting her ire. that lasted as long as it took them got to the locker room, where she let it all out.

"Oh, that smart-ass son of a..." she shouted, kicking a locker that was already well on its way to having a hole in the door. "I'd like to ram his fool head into this locker and kick it and kick it and kick it!"

"Don't worry about it, he's just desperate for attention," Ritsuko stated.

"Maybe, but how did that smug SOB know about the AT Field?"

"How did something so classified get out...?" Ritsuko wondered absently while burning the information packet they'd received on arrival.

"Intelligence must be dragging its ass! Damn it all!"

"Well, if you're done venting, I suppose we should go. The demonstration should be starting soon."

A short time later, they were both leaning against a wall by the observation window, again being conspicuous in their lack of excitement about the whole thing. Taking a look at the Jet Alone robot, both of them agreed it was rather silly looking, sporting long thin arms that reached almost to its knees, no real head to speak of, and a general stick-up-the-ass posture (although to be fair, that last one was something the Evas tended towards as well).

"Well," Misato decided, "The Evas are more dignified….relatively speaking…"

After a few last words from the speaker and a few last minute checks the machine rumbled to life, a series of six lead control rods rising from its shoulders, and it began slowly walking forward.

"They got it to walk, that's an accomplishment." Misato remarked sarcastically, as she'd finally given in and had a look.

Meanwhile, Ritsuko was ignoring the situation completely while mentally counting down from five. When she got to one, the trouble started, Jet Alone deciding it really didn't like the idea of stopping, or walking slow for that matter. After stomping through the building, giving it a new skylight in the process, it started legging it for more populated stomping grounds. Making matters even worse was that its gamma reactor was building towards critical, and would soon meltdown!

"Well," Misato got out after coughing a few times from all the dust that had been kicked up "This is a fine mess!"

"I don't understand..." said the rather shaken speaker. "We planned for everything, this is impossible."

"Your about to have an impossible explosion!" Misato stated. "There any chance of it stopping on its own?"

"Well," said one of the techs. "The chance of that happening…I don't even think I can calculate that...It would be an act of god."

"Acts of men are better then acts of god," Misato countered before addressing the speaker. "Give me the password to the computer core."

"I don't have clearance to give you that."

"Then you'd better talk to whoever you need permission from, we're short on time!"

He quickly made a call, and then a second, and a third leading to a horrifically annoyed Misato. Finally a tech took an axe to the console. "The main hatch lock opens when the signal is cut off, you should be able to get in," the tech explained.

"Hope." The speaker finally muttered, unable to face anyone. "That's the password."

"Thanks," Misato responded, quickly heading to the locker room and pulling out her phone. "I need a radiation suit, a transport and Unit One here quick."

A few moments later she and Ritsuko were back in the locker room. "And just what are you planning?" wondered an annoyed Ritsuko.

"I'll override the computer manually."

"Even by your standards, this is a crazy idea!" Misato didn't respond, quickly donning the suit and left to meet the transport. Unnoticed, Ritsuko smiled slightly. _An idea we knew you'd have._ She then pulled out her cell phone and hit her speed dial. "Commander...Yes, she's going to do it. Right, everything's been arranged."

Sometime later, Misato was aboard the transport giving the lowdown to Shinji.  
"Are you nuts?" he asked.

"Oh, don't worry, Unit One's armor can handle the explosion, and your AT Field will take care of the heat and radiation! You should be fine!"

"I'm not worried about me!" Shinji protested, only to have her put a finger to his lips.

"I have to do what I can." Misato then stood up before turning to the pilot. "Once you drop us off, get to a safe altitude and wait it out."

"Right. We're directly over the target."

"Got ya. Okay Shinji, time to go."

"Alright," he sighed.

As soon as the drop sequence was complete, Eva One was charging after the other machine (which by this point was doing a fine impersonation of a headless chicken), with Misato riding along in its hand. Quickly catching up, Shinji deposited Misato on the other machine's back.

After coming very close to an involuntary swan dive Misato managed to find the hatch and make her way inside, while Shinji concentrated on attempting to get Jet Alone to stop running. Meanwhile, Misato scurried to the internal computer terminal, and after a quick glance at the reactor cooling rods, quickly entered the password.

"Error?!" She screamed after inputting the password. She tried it again, only to have similar results. Then, heaving a deep breath, she looked at the cooling rods. "Well this isn't going to work...those things are probably about half a ton each…but if that's the only way to keep this thing from melting down, I guess I'll have to try the long shot!"

She then began to try to push the rods back into position. As she grunted and strained, the radiation level spiked, causing an odd thing to happen, namely her eyes suddenly began to take a rather green hue. However, a moment later the computer suddenly accepted the password and everything shut down, stunning Misato and leaving her feeling drained, her eyes returning to their normal color.

"Misato!" shouted Shinji.

"I'm here…" she said slumping down, suddenly exhausted.

"You're alright! It's a miracle!"

"Yeah…but someone planned it…." Misato whispered. "And somehow I get the feeling there's more to this then just derailing the Jet Alone project…"

--------------------------------------------------------

Later that day, Ritsuko was reporting in at Gendo's office.

"Everything seems to have gone according to plan," she informed the commander. "The information recorded by the suit Captain Katsuragi wore indicates she did absorb enough of the gamma rays to produce the mutation, but apparently the shock of the situation reversing threw her out of her anger before the change was triggered. Still…it should only be a matter of time before we have confirmation."

"Good," said Gendo. "This should give us the leverage we need. Watch her closely and when we have confirmation, we'll proceed with Rei."

"Yes, sir." Ritsuko responded before leaving the commander's office, and soon began brooding. "Sorry about this, Misato," she muttered softly. "Then again, for all I know, you might actually get to like it." She shook her head then hurried off. If nothing else this was going to make life a little more interesting.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, things started out more or less as usual, with Misato back to her usual behavior, causing many groans for Shinji particularly when she asked him if he'd seen any clean bras laying around. However, as she made her usual trip to NERV, she noticed a few odd things. For the first time ever, the highway patrol seemed to be on duty, which due to her usual method of driving ended up with her having a fine an Eva couldn't jump over. Then when she finally got to headquarters, she managed to get lost for the first time since she'd first brought Shinji there. Then, figuring she needed a little liquid comfort, she found out the liquor vending machine was out of order.

"Come on, damn it!" she shouted, kicking the machine, "I need my medicine!" Finally after about ten minutes of that she grunted and after giving the machine one last good kick headed off to the lounge, hoping a little coffee would improve her mood. However this didn't go well either as the coffee turned out to be even worse than usual. "What the…?" she grunted after nearly gagging on the foul brew. "Did someone put LCL in the machine again?! This tastes like it came out of an oil can!"

Things continued in this manner, with Murphy's Law suddenly being enforced round the clock. Finally, in a spectacularly foul mood, Misato ducked into a ladies room, only to find that every stall was broken.

"Oh, for the love of…is _everything_ going to go wrong today!?" Misato bellowed, wiping her brow. _Damn! _she thought. _It sure is awful hot in here all of the sudden!_ She also became aware of something else; her clothes, which were usually fairly on the tight side to better show off her assets, seemed to suddenly be getting tighter. Misato couldn't think that much about it before a sudden dizzy spell had her staggering and sent her mood straight into the deep end of abysmal. Her eye color again began to change as she growled, "Great, I'm getting sick on top of everything else!! I am just so _pissed off!!!!!_"

That last word had hardly left Misato's mouth when her eyes blazed green. A sudden, sharp stomach pain doubled her over, causing her to fall to the floor. "What the…?" she groaned as her body suddenly began to change. Slowly and painfully, her arms began to bulge, the already toned muscles expanding rapidly into mountainous bundles of steel, her legs following suit, stretching and throbbing. Her shoes burst apart as her feet outgrew them. Glancing down at her chest, Misato saw that her breasts were in a similar state, straining the fabric of her dress horrifically before finally causing it to explode, destroying her bra in the process. Misato gasped at the size of her burgeoning bust, which have looked ridiculous, if not for the fact that the rest of her body was also exploding out of her clothes.

While all that was going on, Misato's stomach muscles pulsed in time with her growth spurts, her abs slowly hardened and expanded, soon becoming an iron-hard six-pack. Even her hair seemed to be expanding, though not nearly as spectacularly as the rest of her. The growth wasn't the only change that was occurring; her skin began to take on a pale green hue. Starting with a slight green tinge at her cheeks, it quickly spread to the rest of her body, slowly but surely darkening it. As the change progressed, it became more and more difficult to think, a haze settling over Misato's mind.

Misato stared in confused fascination at her expanding arms, the change being at once the most painful and exhilarating experience she'd gone through in her life. _What the hell is this?!_ she thought, trying to fight off the haze. _I feel so strong…like I could tear this whole place apart!! How, what…?! _Finally, her mind threw up its metaphorical hands and gave up trying to form coherent thoughts as a final growth spurt tore its way through her, leaving the tattered remnants of her clothes strewn about the floor.

The transformation ended and what was formally Misato Katsuragi rose unsteadily to her feet, now a magnificent muscle-bound, emerald-skinned giant. She let out a massive roar that shook the building, and then began to ponder. She really had no idea what had just happened, or what to do next. Also she was not all that sure what she was. Thinking was virtually impossible; she couldn't really remember where she was anymore. However, the smell of the ladies' room was very unpleasant, so she decided to leave and just go wherever the wind blew her. There ended up being a wall in the way, but that really did not matter to anyone but the people in maintenance.

"Well," said Ritsuko, who along with Gendo, had been observing the whole thing via hidden cameras. "That went well."

"Yes. However I think we might hold off on Rei. We know the mutation can be done, but it would be foolish to move on without finding out about the mental changes."

"Right. Shall we still go about with bringing the Second Child to Japan?"

"Yes. No sense fully revealing our hand yet," Gendo decided. Then he frowned as Misato moved about NERV like she owned the place. "Better not let her get too far away."

"Arrangements have been made," Ritsuko assured him "All that knock out gas is really going to eat into the budget, though."

"Yes, but would you want to try to bring her in without knocking her out?"

"I'm not going to answer that," she replied, folding her arms. "Frankly I'm not to sure we'll be able to bring her in either way." She regarded the impromptu door Misato had made on her way out, likely just the first bit of property damage.

By this time, the transformed woman was taking a quick tour around NERV, giving everyone she ran into quite a scare, and trying to figure out how to get out of the building. To her now nearly eight foot tall frame, the corridors seemed depressingly small, and she had yet to find anyplace more suitable to her massive frame. She had no plan for when she got out of NERV, and was moving according to instinct. Her stomach rumbled, urging her to find food.

While Misato was searching for a way out, or at least something edible, the security personnel Ritsuko and Gendo equipped with knockout gas arrived. The hall was clear of anyone else; all regular NERV staff had taken one look at the huge, nude, green woman and had either run quickly the other way or passed out with severe nose bleeds.

"Gas her!" the team leader ordered as soon as his team was in position, at which point the security personnel sent thick clouds of sleeping gas at the transformed woman, who barely noticed their presence as she continued down the hallway. Then they sprayed her again when the first shot only seemed to make her slightly lethargic.

"What the hell?!" shouted the team leader as they let her have a third round. "This stuff's supposed to be able to knock out an elephant!" At this point, the green giantess turned about to look at the little man who was chattering away. The team leader gulped loudly at the annoyed looked that appeared in the green woman's eyes…only to sigh in relief as she yawned loudly. Soon afterwards, the nude giantess collapsed to the floor, snoring loudly.

It wasn't long after that that Ritsuko showed up with a medical team. With a fair amount of effort, the transformed woman was placed upon a specially designed gurney and was taken away.

_Please, let the gas keep her under until she changes back!_ Ritsuko prayed as they moved her along, Misato groaning her sleep. Unfortunately, either Misato's new body burned through the gas far faster than she could have foreseen, or karma was delivering some major league payback. All Ritsuko knew was that Misato's eyes suddenly opened…just before all Hell broke loose.

The monstrous woman effortlessly ripped her way free of the gurney before picking it up and using it to bludgeon the medical team before turning on the security personnel. Ritsuko herself found herself swatted away by a careless swing, left dazed against the wall. When she finally recovered, there were several badly injured security people and the possibility of large repair bills as Misato decided that she was fed up with this tiny, cramped place, and that she might as well try heading up. With one fist raised up to punch through the various floors, she smashed her way to the top of the NERV pyramid in a single jump. After that, she leapt up again, smashing through one of the buildings at the top of the geofront. A couple jumps more and she reached the surface, smashing her way of a building and sending the people nearby into a panic.

Satisfied now that she finally had some more space, Misato's stomach reminded her that she was hungry, and she quickly set out in search of food. It didn't take long for her to follow her nose to a local grocery store, where she smashed her way through the too-small doorframe, presenting the owners with the prospect of imminent financial ruin as she proceeded to smash her way in through the too small doorframe and promptly began ransacking the place. Things degenerated even further when she found the liquor and her legendary taste for beer decided to let the world know it was still there. It took every drop of beer in the store but finally she felt mellow enough to wander off to look for a place to take a nap.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hours later, a very naked Misato found herself waking up in her apartment bedroom. Dazed and confused, she looked about her room, only to gasp in shock at her new window, which consisted of a gaping hole in the wall.

"What in the…" she asked as she slowly sat up, then clutched her stomach as it gurgled uncomfortably in a manner that signified that she had had _way_ too much beer. Misato was tempted to ask this question again, but as she looked down at her stomach in confusion, she received another shock; the scar that had been her little souvenir of second impact had vanished.

"What the Hell's going on?!" Misato demanded of no one in particular. "The last thing I remember, I was at NERV and now…?" Confused, but getting a very bad feeling, she got dressed and decided to head back to NERV.

As Misato exited her room, she saw Shinji lying dazedly on the floor in front of her room. "Shinji?!" she squawked in surprise as he sat up, rubbing a trickle a blood beneath his nose. "What happened?!"

"Oh, Misato…" he started, looking very confused.

"Yes?"

"I must have hit my head or something. I had this really weird dream," he explained. "You see, I was told that there'd be no synch tests today when I got back today. I'd just gotten off the phone when I heard this loud crashing coming from your room, and when I went to check, there was this…this giant green woman in your room."

"What?"

"Yeah. She was just lying on your bed…I think she was taking a nap. Then I noticed that…" Shinji paused, blushing deeply before continuing. "She wasn't wearing anything, and well…" With that, Shinji shrugged as he got up, looking at Misato in confusion. "By the way…when did you even get home?"

"I don't know…There's something very weird going on here….I'm heading back to NERV….It's the last place I remember being and that was…What time is it anyhow?"

"Uh…" Shinji paused before looking at his cell phone clock. "About 7:00."

"Last I remember it was about 11:30…." Confused, the Captain made her downstairs, unsurprised by the fact that her car wasn't in the parking lot. As for Shinji, he took a quick at Misato's bedroom, saw the gaping hole in the wall, and gulped. _Wait a minute…if that was real, then…_ He pondered the matter for a moment before dismissing it. "No way. That's impossible. Even for Tokyo 3…"

---------------------------------------------------------------------

It took Misato a depressingly long time to get back to NERV by bus. Upon getting there, the first thing she did was check to see if her car was still there. When she saw that it was, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. On the bus ride there, snippets of memories had slowly come to her. Impossible images that she couldn't dismiss. Making things even more suspicious was that Ritsuko was already there, apparently waiting for her.

"Well, you're back a little earlier then I thought."

"Cut the crap," Misato countered, having a _very_ bad feeling about the day's events. "I don't remember most of the day, there's a huge hole in my bedroom wall, and my stomach feels like I drank six gallons of beer! Not to mention all the stuff that happened this morning! Now, I've got a feeling that you know a few things about what happened today, and inquiring minds want to know!"

"Yes, I thought you might," Ritsuko noted humorlessly. "Well, come on, let's get to my office. It'll be easier for me to just show you what happened."

Upon reaching the doctor's office, Ritsuko proceeded to show the security footage she and Gendo and recorded of the major's change and the events that followed until she left the building. Misato was understandably stunned.

"I turned into…that?" Misato uttered, dumbstruck by the sheer power of the beast-woman.

"Yes," Ritsuko admitted. "Just so you know…this wasn't a one-time thing."

"You mean next time I get mad…?"

"You'll change again? Yes."

As Misato continued to watch the green giantess rampage, she looked at her best friend from college, her eyes filled with hatred. "So…you _did_ sabotage Jet Alone," she hissed, Ritsuko wincing at her words. "Tell me something; was this the main reason, or just the icing on the cake?"

"The icing," Ritsuko admitted. "We've had a lot of evidence that such a mutation was possible, but no hard data. We knew that you would likely try to stop Jet Alone, and we…took the opportunity."

"And now you've got your hard data. Me," Misato hissed, moving closer towards her friend. "And Gendo wanted this to happen…why?"

"We needed a backup plan, in case of the worst," Ritsuko explained. "We've been searching for a weapon powerful enough to combat the Angels, to supplement the Evas. Then…we discovered the lab journals of a Dr. Bruce Banner, a specialist in gamma radiation. According to records, he was afflicted with a mutation very similar to yours, Misato. As a result, he was transformed into a monster that he called the Hulk."

"And Gendo decided that he wanted a Hulk of his own, is that it?" Misato growled, her eyes taking a slightly green tinge as she brought her fist down upon a control console. "You have ten seconds to tell me that there's some way of controlling this thing before I _give_ you a Hulk! Right here! Right now!"

Gulping, Ritsuko knew that she would either have to talk fast or somehow survive having a hopping-mad Hulk on her hands. "Control?" the doctor started, knowing the key to Misato's personality. "I'd think you'd want a cure."

"Gendo made me into this thing for a reason, and from what you've said, that reason is to fight the Angels! And if this Hulk can do that, than I _don't_ want to just get rid of it," Misato declared. Then she smiled impishly. "Besides, I think I could have some real fun with this…getting to the top of the geofront in two jumps…and if I could help Shinji…then it's worth it." Then Misato narrowed her eyes, which once again flashed green. "Unless I can't control it at all, in which case I'm no better than an Angel. In that case…you're in _big_ trouble."

Sighing, Ritsuko responded, "Well, as far as control is concerned, we're still in the theoretical stages. However, we are working on it!"

"Then you better work _really_ fast, because if this thing _ever_ hurts Shinji…the next thing it will hurt is _you_ when it comes down here and tears NERV apart!" At this, Misato clenched a fist and stared at it a moment, pondering her new situation, as well as the new possibilities. "And while you're researching, I'm going to be doing some research of my own…away from Shinji. Looks like I'll have to call in a few sick days…and I am _not_ going to be held responsible for any damage I do because of this thing!"

"I understand," Ritsuko replied shakily, knowing Misato well enough to realize that the crisis had been averted. "Well, we're still going to be bringing in the Second Child in a few weeks."  
"I'll try to be back by then," Misato huffed in annoyance. "One favor though…look after Shinji while I'm gone."

"What?"

"It seems fair to me, considering the fact that you did help get me into this mess," Misato pointed out. "I really can't take him with me, and there's no way I'm going to leave him alone, no way of telling how long this is going to take."

"Oh…Alright, I suppose I do owe you something after all this."

"Thanks. I'll try to keep this fast...of course it might help if I had any idea where to start..." Misato hinted.

"One of the doctors of Banner's time indicated that psychological control mechanisms seemed to help control the creature's behavior, though that control varied," Ritsuko noted.

"Well, that's a start," Misato decided, thankful for at least that one little tidbit. "As for the rest…I'll just have to sleep on it."

"So you'll be leaving in the morning?"

"Yeah."

"Good. That'll give me time to stock up on antidepressants. They're for me." She added quickly at Misato's look.

"One of these days, I'm going to find out just what it is you've been doing every night." _Or who_, she added mentally. At this, Misato left, trying to decide how best to break this to Shinji.


	2. Chapter 2

**Brain Dead 12 ½ studios presents:**

**Eva Hulk chapter 2**

**Misato's quest **

**Or**

**Rei's gray area**

(Once again I own nothing except the bad guys...well kinda.)

Far away from Japan, in a dimly-lit blue chamber with a huge mural of a bat gripping the earth, the letters NSO written on the globe depicted on the far wall. In the center was a large conference table a holographic display in the center. The table was set for six but only two seats were currently occupied; one with a white-haired, heavily scarred woman in a business suit, her face just lit by the cigar dangling from her lips. The other figure was shrouded by the darkness of the room, but no shadow could conceal his immense size. The other four seats were empty, but black obelisks floated above them, and each was inscribed with a name.

"Well?" came a feminine voice from one of the obelisks, which was marked Kappa. "Shall we begin?"

"Indeed," came a rumbling male voice that seemed to fill the room but didn't have any identifiable source. "It seems our little friends at NERV have decided to diversify a bit."

"Begging your pardon, sire," rumbled a growling, male voice from one of the other obelisks, this one marked Fenir. "It seems a little excessive to call for a conclave about NERV at this stage."

"I agree," stated the white-haired woman in a raspy voice. "Ikari couldn't find his ass with a flashlight and a map, much less our moles, and it's still way too early to be talking about attacking them."

"Yes, but take a look at _this!_" As those words were spoken, the display in the center of the table activated, showing footage of Misato's little temper tantrum, and her resulting transformation.

"They're actually fool enough to mess with Dr. Banner's legacy?!" asked Kappa.

"You'd think having the Evangelions would be over compensation enough," agreed Fenir. "This is most definitely cause for concern."

"Yes," came the voice of the apparent leader. "This is a most unexpected development. Your thoughts?"

"Isn't it obvious?" piped up a female voice from another obelisk, this one marked Nagaii. "If they're fucking around with gamma rays over there we need to move our time table up."

"Yes, and why not invite the Angels to tea?" muttered Kappa. "As much as we all hate sneaking around, we aren't in a good position right now. There are still several Angels to deal with, NERV's the only ones with anything close to a reliable method of combating them. Besides, we've only got a lock on four of the twelve members of SEELE, moving too soon will tip our hand completely."

"Agreed," declared a bizarre sounding voice coming from the final of the placeholders, this one marked Blood Eagle. "Running in with our pants down isn't advisable. However, if I may be so bold, perhaps we should move up our little demonstration?"

"No, that would be showing too many of our cards," countered the white-haired woman. "I say we just continue as is."

"I second that," said Kappa.

"I agree," declared the leader again. "Still, we're going to have to monitor the situation much more closely. And on that note, how go our other projects?"

"It looks like our predictions about the Second Child and Adam were correct," said Kappa. "If I had to guess, I'd say they'll use the transfer of Unit Two and its pilot to cover the delivery. Nagaii and I are working on the details, but it shouldn't be too much of a problem to hitch a ride."

"Things in Nevada are going about as planned as well," said Fenir. "The contracts for Unit Three and Four went through, though I've heard rumblings their trying to get permission to use the experimental S2 Engine."

"Well, we already know the chances of that little pipe dream panning out," deadpanned Blood Eagle. "Really, thinking they could replicate the S2 Engines that easily…"

"Yes," came the leader's voice. "Very well, we will continue according to our original time table for now. All of you keep in touch, however; we may need to move our operations to the Pacific quicker then expected."

"Yes sir!" chorused the others.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back in Tokyo 3, Misato was leaving her apartment, knowing that it might be some time before she returned. Shinji had already left for school, and Misato had called Ritsuko and asked her to tell Shinji that she was going away on business, and that she might not be back for a while.

_Damn, I wish I had some idea where I can start looking for something that could help me control this thing,_ Misato fumed as she got into her Renault Alpine. _Guess all I can really do right now is pick a direction and hope for divine inspiration to strike!_

A couple hours later, Misato was looking for said inspiration in a glass of beer, having decided to stop for a drink, if only to help her forget how little idea she had as to what she should do. Slowly sipping her beer instead of chugging it down, Misato knew very well that this was as sure a sign of her mood as any. _If Shinji saw me now, he'd be more worried than usual…_ Misato thought humorlessly. _Damn, I wish I could get really plastered, but if do that and something makes me blow my stack, they can kiss this part of the city and probably a few of the people in it good-bye!_

"Problems?" came an unexpected voice. Looking over her shoulder, Misato saw a man of about her age with a boyishly handsome face and black hair done in a pigtail. He wore a black overcoat over a red silk shirt and black pants.

"Maybe," Misato finally said, realizing that she had to be really broadcasting her mood in order for this guy to pick up on it so easily. "Nothing you'd be likely to be able to help with."

The guy smiled humorlessly at this. "I might as well just say this now; I'm not trying to come on to you. I've had enough girl troubles for one lifetime."

"Didn't say ya were." Misato paused to let out a slight hiccup. "I've just got…a really unusual problem."

"Oh, I've dealt with a lot of those," her impromptu companion replied. "I grew up in some pretty interesting places."

"Really."

"Yeah. Let's just say the Chinese consider may you live in interesting times a curse for a good reason," he stated. Then his face turned somewhat grim. "Course they've got plenty of worse ones."

"If you say so," Misato shrugged. "But since I've really got nothing better to do, I'll tell you a little about this."

"I'm all ears."

"Well, it's a little temper problem. Basically, I get mad, bad things happen."

"You sound like half the people I know. How bad?"

"You wouldn't believe me."

"I might. If you don't want to talk about it here, we can head to my place."

Misato smiled at this. "I thought you weren't trying to pick me up."

"Ha ha," the guy laughed without really meaning it. "Seriously though, I run a dojo, I knew a few tricks that are really good for keeping yourself calm."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Could help," he shrugged.

"Sounds good. I'm not getting anywhere on my own," Misato replied as she stood. "Oh, by the way, name's Misato Katsuragi."

"Ranma Saotome," the guy replied, extending his hand, which she took. "Pleased to meet ya."

"Likewise. Shall we?"

"I'd say so."

As the two left the bar, they remained completely unaware that they had been watched. Their observers were a man and woman who looked to be about twenty-six, and both had strange, white hair. The two of them both pulled out cell phones.

"Hello," came a female voice on the other end. "I take it we were correct?"

"Yes," said the male of the two. "Your orders?"

"Follow them for now. Don't bother trying anything till Katsuragi goes back to NERV, we don't need any gamma-charged grief."

"Yes, Lady Shrivanzella." With that the two slipped off, following Ranma and Misato.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the depths of NERV, Ritsuko and Gendo were discussing their current situation. "Excellent work Dr. Akagi," oozed Gendo. "Though I'm amazed you agreed to watch the Third Child."

"What can I say?" the doctor responded. "I do feel a little guilty about this one. Then again, I only lied about not knowing how she could get control of it, and knowing her she'll find a way eventually."

"Yes. I would say we're ready to begin with Rei. Have the chamber set up."

"Yes sir. But if I could speak freely a moment?"

"What is it?"

"One of the techs told me about that theft from the storage facility. It worries me, particularly after that accident at the gamma reactor in America. Knowing what I know, I get the feeling we might not be the only ones doing this."

"Irrelevant," Gendo relied simply. "Really, Akagi, it's not like you to be so paranoid."

"We've had six barrels of radioactive material from a secure bunker you'd need an N2 mine to break into just disappear, under full guard. And the fact that the guards were all killed…it strikes me as odd."

"The Angels are still our main concern," Gendo insisted. "Even though I myself would like to know how that robbery was accomplished. Whoever was responsible has made no move since then."

"Yes, sir. I just think we should be cautious. Well, more so than usual. Anyway, I'll go get things ready, we should be able to go in about five minutes."

"All right. Let me know when all is in readiness."

"Of course."

A few minutes later, in one of NERV's many hidden laboratories, a nude Rei Ayanami stood in a cylindrical chamber designed to hold something that far exceeded her own slender frame. The chamber was hooked up to several containers of gamma-energy conducting material.

"Alright," announced Ritsuko. "Everything's ready."

"Good," Gendo muttered. "Rei?"

The albino girl gave a quick nod. "Ready."

"Alright, begin," Gendo ordered. With that, Ritsuko flipped a few switches, and Rei became the focus of a gamma ray storm. She cried out briefly as she clutched her head, her eyes in shock. Agony as if her brain had a red-hot branding iron slammed into it held her in its grasp.

Rei Ayanami had been created by Gendo Ikari, a hybrid of human and Angelic DNA. Though the two genetic codes were very similar, the differences that remained were extremely significant. In the depths of her brain, many subtle, unseen changes were occurring. Parts of her brain that had lain dormant since her birth suddenly exploded with activity as the gamma energy surged through her.

No sooner did Rei start to regain her bearings then the physical changes began, starting with her hair, which grew longer, wilder and darker. She groaned loudly as her pale skin began to darken and she started to grow, her muscles twitching and spasming as the gamma energy flowed into them, causing a slow but sure expansion. Briefly, a slight fog threatened to settle on her mind, but she shook that off, looking in awe at the rising masses of muscle on her arms.

The power in her refusing to be restrained, Rei soon shattered the door to the chamber off with one mighty blow and stepped out, now a dark gray-skinned, seven-foot titan. Feeling a strange satisfaction at the display of power, at the raw, seething energy that now coursed through her, she found herself filled with the desire to roar in satisfaction. _But…I shouldn't,_ she chided herself, checking the impulse. She knew they expected her to still be emotionless, and letting on how wonderful she felt at the moment would make them suspicious. Make them want to…_replace_ her. Breed a new Rei Ayanami, erase her memories of this moment. A moment she wanted to last forever.

"Odd. I wasn't expecting her to be gray..." muttered Ritsuko as she walked over to the gamma-charged girl, giving her a quick exam. "It seems she's fine," the doctor concluded a moment later.

"Good."

_Like you give a damn... _Rei found herself thinking before blinking in surprise at the thought. Quickly analyzing her condition, she realized that the transformation had unleashed a torrent of emotion that now swirled inside of her. She found herself wanting to go up to the commander… and smash him. Break him to pieces. _Why am…I feeling this way? _she wondered momentarily. Then a strong surge of resentment answered her own question. _Probably because he treats me like a tool..._ After a moment, she realized Ritsuko was speaking to her.

"Yes ma'm?"

"Something wrong?" the doctor wondered.

"No," Rei answered simply.

"Hmmm...well, you're probably a little disorientated...anyway, as I was saying, now we'll see if you can change at will."

"Yes." With that she focused on willing herself back to normal. A moment later she began to shrink, feeling a pang of disappointment as she returned to her original physical state. The changes to her mind, however, remained.

"Alright. We'll continue testing on your new form after today's synch tests," Ritsuko declared. "Anything you want to add commander?"

"No, that will be all."

"Yes, sir." And with that Rei quickly got dressed and headed off to ponder her new situation.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Nice place," Misato commented. She and Ranma had arrived at his dojo, and she was giving the place a look. The place looked more-or-less like what a person would expect of a dojo, although the fact that there was a mallet, a bamboo umbrella, and a giant spatula hanging on one of the walls confused her a bit.

"Those belonged to some friends of mine," Ranma commented, noticing Misato's reaction. "We had kind of complicated relationships, but friends weren't something I had a lot of."

"Oh," Misato replied. "I don't know much about the arts but those are pretty usual weapons..."

"They were unusual people," Ranma sighed.

"Sorry."

"Not your fault. They just all came to pretty bad ends. Anyway, that's not important right now."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," Ranma assured her. "Okay I get the feeling I know what the problem is but..."

"I get a real feeling I'm not going to like this..." Misato commented just before she got hit, albeit softly in the face, several times. Ranma was a long-time fighter, and knew exactly how power to add to his blows for the desired effect. The hits that landed on Misato's body weren't enough to seriously harm her, but more than enough to sting her very badly. "_What the hell did you do that for?!_" she demanded as she recovered from the unprovoked assault, her eyes lighting up with green, her voice deepening.

"Yep...that's what I though...lot of that going around these days..." Ranma commented knowingly even as Misato changed, her clothes being torn to shreds as muscles exploded from her frame. "Really wish she could have just come out and said it, though."

The instant Misato's transformation completed itself, the green giantess drove her huge fist at Ranma. She missed, the martial artist having easily dodged the clumsy blow, leaving the dojo a nice floor pit if the need for one would ever arise. Moving nimbly about, Ranma led Misato to a special refrigerator, knowing exactly how to handle the out-of-control titan he was dealing with.

Smiling sadly, he recalled how his fallen friends had picked up a taste for beer during their lives. As such, he kept large supply of it handy, as a reminder of happier times. Now the stashed away beer was saving his life as Misato was led to smash her way into the fridge, her face changing from rage to delight as she discovered the bounty that she had found.

A few hours later and several six-packs later, Misato woke up in a bed in the main house, wearing nothing but her blanket.

"Still getting used to it huh?" Ranma noted as she groggily sat up.

"What the…?" Misato wondered, blinking her eyes in realization. "You mean…you've seen people with this…condition before?!"

Ranma nodded to this. "Yeah. It's…kind of a long story."

"I'll bet," Misato decided dryly, finding herself wanting to hear this story. "So…do you still think you can help me with this thing?"

"Actually, yeah," Ranma smiled, though he seemed unsure of himself. "Well, it worked for the last one anyhow; it's an old technique, called the Soul of Ice. She was eventually able to control it using that."

"Oh?" Misato wondered, curious as to her predecessor in this case was.

"Yeah. I get the feeling you probably don't have time to stay here long enough to learn it, but I've got it recorded, along with a few other techniques you might need."

"Ummm, I'm a little confused," Misato replied.

"Somebody followed us here from the bar," Ranma informed her, something that threatened her with another case of the greens. "I'm pretty sure it's one of the ones that killed my friends. I also noticed you had a NERV ID when I got your wallet out of…what was left of your clothes in the dojo, and I figure you and whoever pilot those whatever-they're-called are going to need this stuff a lot more than I'm going to." He rose from his seat by her bed. "The stuff in that closet there should fit you. Come downstairs and I'll give ya the scrolls."

"Right," Misato replied as her host left. Once he was gone, she discovered the clothes indicated; a white exercise outfit that did fit for the most part, though it did pinch her chest somewhat. _Oh, well. Beggars can't be choosers. I _knew _I should have brought more clothes with me._

A few moments later she returned to the dojo proper where Ranma was waiting. "Alright," he said, handing her a box. "Those have all the information you'll need, shouldn't be too hard to figure out."

"Alright. I still don't think I understand what's going on. Then again, you were right, I am on a time budget," Misato admitted unhappily. "Of course, I wasn't expecting to find anything this fast, so I've got a couple extra days."

"Probably would be better spent reading the scrolls. I'm really not that good of a teacher," Ranma admitted with a measure of shame. "Well, not anymore."

"If you say so," she replied, knowing some hurts were too difficult to talk about. "So shall I just head back?"

"Probably be a good idea," he shrugged. "Hope this stuff helps you a bit more than it helped me."

"Right. Oh, and Ranma?" Misato started. When he looked up, he saw brown eyes filled with compassion. "Once I get this thing under control, would you mind if I stopped by to visit now and again? Just as friend?"

"A friend?" he repeated, seemingly surprised by this development.

"Right, a friend," Misato answered, looking at the unusual weapons on the wall. "You're not the only whose lost…people who were important to them. And I figure…it's no good, being alone all the time."

Ranma blinked several times, before a genuine smile appeared on his face. "No…I guess you're right about that." Then, crossing his arms behind his head, his gave her a look of almost boyish charm. "Thanks."

Misato nodded to this. "You're welcome," was all she said before leaving the dojo behind.

While Ranma was thinking thoughts he hadn't in a long time, Misato was getting back to her car. Speed dialing Ritsuko, she was glad that she quickly got a response. "Hi. Yeah it's me. Well, you might not believe this, but I found something. Yeah. Well he said it worked for someone else with my problem...well, I might be crazy but somehow I believe him, I've seen enough weird things, so I'll be coming back earlier than I thought. You guys done the tests for the day? Huh? Okay if you say so...right. See you in a bit." With that she hung up and began her trip home.

--------------------------------------------------------------

While Misato was scaring people half to death with her driving, Shinji was at NERV, having arrived at the pribnow box for the daily testing. He looked at Rei, who seemed very unsettled, and almost disturbed by Shinji's arrival.

"Rei?" Shinji wondered, who was a bit confused to see her apparently waiting for him.

"Hello," she replied. _What is going on?_ she wondered, the unleashed emotions shaping in her mind, _I feel as if I should be spending more time with Pilot Ikari.....why am I so concerned about the distance between us suddenly_? Once again, an unexpected answer came from the emotions now loosed within her. _Because, from a genetic standpoint…__he is my brother_... This thought struck Rei as odd at first, but then she pondered it for a moment, and found that it did make sense. Though she had been bred in a cloning lab and he was born in the traditional manner, they still technically had the same human mother. The main difference was that Rei happened to have a second one, instead of a father.

_But…why do I care about that so suddenly, _Rei wondered, only to find herself being talked to without realizing it. "What?"

"I asked if you're alright. You seem a little....distracted," Shinji said, finally deciding on a word. Frankly seeing Rei like this made him a little uneasy, more than was normal even for him. _First Misato goes nuts, now Rei? Just what's going on around here anyhow? _

Shinji didn't have the chance to continue those thoughts, because it was then that he and Rei were called upon to begin their synch tests. Rei's distraction continued to show, resulting in her worst score to date. Ritsuko put this down to her still adjusting to her mutation, though she still wasn't aware of just how far those changes extended.

When everything was done for the day, Rei decided that she had to talk to someone about her current situation. After a few moments of thought, she decided Misato would be a good choice. Rei knew that the captain was also dealing with the "Hulk effect", as it was often called by the few people who still knew about it. Misato might be able to offer her some insight, although her limited knowledge on the subject and Ritsuko's reaction to her transformed state both seemed to point to her being a unique specimen.

After Shinji left for the day, Ritsuko ran some tests on Rei's mutated form, tests which consisted mostly of her lifting and being hit with large objects, all which pleased Ritsuko. Rei was displaying the kind of results they had been hoping for from their own Hulks, despite the differences in skin coloration.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Taking a deep breath as she returned to her home, Misato thought about how relieved she was that she had found something so quickly. Taking time out to feed PenPen, Misato sat down on her couch and began looking at the scrolls she'd acquired. After skimming through the various contents, she decided to focus on the Soul of Ice and meditation techniques at the moment. A quick glance at some of the other stuff made her make a mental note to give them a good read later, some of the fighting techniques sounded useful. Some of the scrolls seemed pretty farfetched, concerning chi-focusing and other things that seemed more mystical than practical.

_Of course, turning into a super-strong monster when you get mad isn't much better,_ Misato decided as Shinji entered the apartment.

"Oh, you're back," he got out, looking as surprised as he got.

"Yeah," Misato smiled at her ward. "My little mission didn't end up taking as long as I thought it would."

"Okay," Shinji responded hesitantly as he glanced of the collection of scrolls. "I didn't know you were into that kind of thing."

"Just found a reason to be," she replied with a shrug, still not ready to give out all the details just yet. This sort of thing would push anyone over the edge, let alone a quite kid like Shinji.

The night continued normally enough from there. However, shortly after dinner, Misato ended up getting one last surprise for the day. As she sat in the couch, going over the scrolls again, she was suddenly interrupted by her cell phone.

"Hello?" Misato answered.

"Captain Katsuragi..." came Rei's voice. "We need to talk."


	3. Chapter 3

**Brain Dead 12 ½ studios presents:**

**EvaHulk 3**

**Asuka Strikes, Misato Gripes, Rei just gets confused **

**Or**

**Fishing for angels**

"Rei?" Misato replied, more than a little confused about what the usually silent girl wanted to talk about. The very fact that Rei had actually _called_ her…!

"Yes," the albino replied. "I have something that I wish to discuss with you, but…I would rather not talk about this over the phone. Could you come to my apartment tomorrow?"

"I guess I could drop by…would right after school be alright?" Misato fumbled, looking about her own apartment like it was to become unglued from the rest of the Earth. _Rei wants me to come by her apartment?!_ _Could this day get _any_ weirder?! _

"That would be fine," Rei answered.

"Still, this is kind of sudden…" Misato commented. "Can you at least give me an idea what this is about?"

"I…all I can say is that It's very important," Rei insisted. "I'll try to explain when you're here."

"Alright, fine. I'll be by tomorrow, then," Misato agreed, to which Rei thanked her before hanging up. _One weird thing after another,_ she thought, once again looking over her new reading material. _At this rate the Angels are gonna start seeming normal... _

--------------------------------------------------------------

"Damn," Misato shook her head as she entered Rei's building. "This place looks almost as bad as my first apartment..."

Soon she arrived at Rei's door, knocking more out of habit then anything else. "Come in," came Rei's voice. After a moment's struggle with the, door Misato entered, grimacing at the filth she saw covering every surface. _I guess she's not used to having company over_, the Captain decided, unknowing that Rei had found herself compelled to at least make an attempt at cleaning up the place a little, the thought occurring to her only after she had decided to invite Misato over. The bulk of her efforts had revolved around getting a couple of chairs. Rei was sitting in one of them, completely nude, and after taking moment to raise a questioning eyebrow, Misato took the one opposite the albino.

"So…" Misato fumbled, wondering for a moment why Rei was undressed, but then decided that she really wasn't in a position to comment on that. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I have…a condition," Rei started, seeming somewhat uncertain as she spoke. "Since I was told you have a similar one, I thought you might be able to help me with the side-effects."

"Condition?" Misato replied, surprised by this comment. "What _condition?"_

"You weren't told?" Rei asked a bit of surprise in her voice. Taking a moment to wonder why the commander hadn't told Misato of his plans to make more like her, Rei stood from her chair and stepped away from anything that was breakable. "Here. I'll show you," Closing her eyes in concentration, Rei willed the change to occur. After a moment's delay, Rei's eyes darkened as her hair grew somewhat longer. Muscles exploded beneath her skin as she grew in height, the wondrous sensation of raw power flooding her veins making her groan in rapture. When the transformation completed itself, Rei didn't bother to hide her feelings, and let out a mighty roar.

Watching Rei's transformation, Misato just sat there, looking like she could be knocked over with a feather. "Damn," she finally murmured after she recovered. "I really should have expected this..."

"Do you…understand now?" Rei asked, alleviating Misato's concern about being within such close proximity to the grey-skinned giantess, who had been thinking of her mutated self's bad behavior.

"_Boy,_ do I _ever!_" Shaking her head as she finally understood out why Rei had met her undressed, Misato mumbled, "Well, you're not exactly like me. For starters, when I…change…I'm green."

"Yes, I was told that," Rei replied evenly. "I take it there are other differences?"

"Yeah...far as I know I can't control it, seems to just happen when I get mad."

"Oh?" Rei got out, seeming surprised by this. "I…wasn't aware of that."

"Yeah...well, I admit I haven't tried making myself change, I'm just worried about getting mad at the wrong times," Misato shrugged. "I mean…I've already seen what happens when I lose it, and…

"You are more worried about being able not to change then," Rei intuited. "To be able to prevent yourself from transforming, and being able to control yourself _when_ transformed."

"Basically. But I think I might have found a way to do that," Misato answered, hoping against hope that she was right. "But…I'm not sure what you meant by side-effects."

"Well, I seem to be....feeling more."

"Feeling?" Misato wondered.

"Yes," Rei admitted, seeming almost vulnerable and afraid beneath her gamma-irradiated hide. "My relationship with Pilot Ikari has suddenly begun to concern me…it seems that I should be closer to him than I am."

"What do you mean by…closer?"

"We are, for all purposes, siblings," Rei explained patiently. "It seems I should...know him better than I do. But…I have no idea why I feel this way."

"Wait a second here!" Misato got out, feeling like her brain was about to meltdown on her. "Siblings?! You… and Shinji?!"

"You didn't know?"

"I had no idea," Misato responded, slowly shaking her head.

Rei shrugged her mountainous shoulders, and then continued. "Also I have been feeling...angry toward the commander of late. I always knew the purpose he intended for me…but now I find myself resenting it…it's very confusing…."

"I'd imagine…" Misato replied, becoming _very_ confused herself! "But…how the _Hell_ did you and Shinji…how can you be _siblings?!"_

"Well...the details are difficult to explain…" Rei admitted, looking even more delicate, despite her brutish form. "To put it simply…I am a clone, created from Yui Ikari… and the Second Angel."

"_What the Hell?!_" Misato shouted, falling over in her chair. "Are you shitting me?!"

"You didn't know?" Rei wondered, looking very confused. "I thought everyone knew. The commander and Dr. Akagi do…"

"They do…? Dammit, Ritsuko! You've got a lot of explaining to do..." mumbled Misato. Then to Rei she said, "Well this is...damn...I really don't know what to say...I always had a feeling there was something else I wasn't seeing, but..." Shaking her head as the temptation to give Ritsuko a Hulk right in her face returning, Misato tried again. "Also, I really don't know what to tell you about your feelings, nothing like that happened to me…maybe it's because you're part Angel...I honestly don't know…"

"Yes, that would make sense," Rei nodded.

"There's something else, Rei," Misato started. As the grey beast-woman looked at her in confusion, the Captain continued. "Do you know of anyone else with this…condition?"

Frowning slightly, Rei slowly shook her head. "No, as far as I'm aware, we are the only ones. Why?"

"I ran into somebody yesterday, who says he ran into another woman who has this thing," Misato explained, not liking the way things were going. "Then, when I saw you…"

"I am not aware of anyone else who has been subjected to this procedure," Rei repeated, looking decidedly unhappy. "Do you wish to ask Dr. Akagi about it?"

"Trust me, I will, though I'm not going to be expecting much out of her. Not with all the secrets Rits has obviously been keeping," Misato frowned bitterly. "Still, I think we should keep our eyes open. Just in case."

Rei nodded to this. "Agreed."

Satisfied with this, Misato gave a slight smile. "Anyway, about you wanting to be closer to Shinji… maybe I can arrange something…"

"You could?" Rei asked, a smile appearing on her face.

"Yeah, I think so," Misato responded, thinking that she would _never_ get used to the concept of Rei _smiling._ Seeing her as grey monster was somehow normal in comparison. "One more thing. I'm going to start a new training schedule to help me with my little control problem. You want to join me? Might help if it turns out the anger thing applies to us both."

"That would be wise...yes," Rei soon decided.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took a great deal of finagling on Misato's part, and she wound up calling in a few favors in the process, but after a few days she managed to arrange for Rei to move in with her and Shinji.

Commander Ikari had been especially hard to convince, but when Misato explained to him that it would make it easier for her and Rei to train together in order to achieve greater control of their Hulk forms, he had seemed satisfied with allowing the move. He did make it clear that Rei would still be called away often for whatever Gendo had planned for her. Both Misato and Rei agreed with this, for although 1st Child's opinion of the commander was rapidly declining, she and Misato had both agreed that keeping up appearances was in their best interest.

Naturally, Rei's sudden relocation had been a shock to Shinji, but over the next few days, he slowly became more comfortable with having her around all the time. He even found himself smiling as he served her meals, something that had the albino smiling as well.

During that time, Misato and Rei began their training, working on improving their control whenever they had the apartment to mostly to themselves (PenPen could be trusted to keep their secret, if only out of the knowledge of what a pair of gamma mutants could do to his tiny little bones). Rei took to the techniques given to Misato very quickly, while Misato had a good deal more difficulty. However, she was becoming far more proficient at the meditation techniques.

Roughly two weeks passed in this manner since Rei's relocation, when Misato was escorting the two Children away from the latest rounds of Eva-related tests. The three of them were getting ready to head home when Ritsuko gave them a bit of news; that the next day, Misato would be going to sea to pick up the Second Child.

"Alright," Misato replied to this. "Okay if I take a few people with me?"

"Actually, I was going to suggest taking the Third Child along anyway," Ritsuko responded with a shrug.

"I would like to go," Rei interjected, taking everyone by surprise.

"You sure?" Misato asked while Ritsuko stared at the albino like she had grown another head..

"Yes," Rei nodded, looking at Shinji as she did.

"Well, I suppose that can be worked out," Ritsuko decided, still looking confused. "Your plane leaves at 9:00 tomorrow."

"Right, we'll be there," Misato answered, and with that the three headed for home.

----------------------------------------------------------------

"So we're finally meeting the third pilot?" Shinji asked later that evening as he served the two ladies their dinners.

"Yeah. Thought I mentioned to that to you," Misato smiled. "You don't seem too surprised, though."

"Well, "I'm the Third Child, and Rei's the First…so I had been wondering where the Second was," Shinji admitted with a slight shrug. "Though I _am_ surprised you decided to come along, Ayanami."

"It would be a good idea to meet the new pilot," Rei answered. Misato gave her a look and the clone girl mouthed 'It's kind of the truth'. Misato just shook her head. The changes in Rei had gotten fairly obvious by this point; even Shinji was noticing some of them now. However, Misato knew that the two of them still weren't as close Rei would have liked, which was annoying her somewhat.

Misato knew what that was like. Her own goals seemed to be going more-or-less as planned, but since there hadn't much happening that would set off her transformation, it had been hard for to tell just how much progress she was making on that front. _Still, with Asuka coming, this could be my first real test,_ Misato thought anxiously, remembering the German she had met some time ago. She'd read over the girl's files when they had first met, and immediately decided that the trend of deeply disturbed NERV personnel was being honored. _That girl is a disaster just waiting to happen! _Frowning at all the fun she was going to be having with the development of gamma mutants and the problems of being one, the Captain decided that life was looking to be one big series of headaches, only about half of them related to the angel problem.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Man..." Misato commented the next day. She, along with Shinji and Rei, were flying a helicopter out over the Pacific Ocean, looking over the fleet that they were to rendezvous with. "Would you look at that? I'm amazed half of those things can float."

Shinji nodded then asked. "So why is half the Pacific fleet out here? Isn't this a bit much for just one person?"

"Oh, they're not just bringing the Second Child. They've also got a long a little accessory that no girl should be without," Misato replied with a grin.

However, Misato would have been far less cheerful if she could have seen what was presently going on down below her. Two people were busy trying to ignore the other's presence, completely aware that they were on opposite sides of the playing field, with their own agendas at stake. One was a man of thirty, who was unshaven and had a ponytail, and a blue-haired woman in a generic gray uniform, who was also wearing a facemask.

"Well looks like it's about time for your joyous reunion," the woman commented in a voice that was dipped in sarcasm before pausing for a brief coughing fit. "Damn this cold…!"

"Really, Nagaii, I thought you weren't into the taunt game," the man noted with a smile.

"Normally, I'm not, but this is too good an opportunity."

"Really. Well, far be it from me to wonder about what's going to happen when you see Ikari again."

"Touché, Kaji..." the woman coughed again. "You do realize that if I wasn't doped up on cough syrup I'd rip your god damned lungs out for that."

"Very aware of it. Why are you here anyway?"

"Oh, come now. You already know that I'm aware of your real reason for being here."

"Don't want Ikari to have it?" Kaji smirked with his eyes raised skyward.

"We don't want _anyone_ to have it!" Nagaii countered. "Damn thing's caused enough trouble. Besides…it's our turn now."

"Should have known."

"Really, I don't see why you can't just work with us, it's not like loyalty means much to you," Nagaii sniped. "How many people are you working for now?"

"Enough that I'd rather not have one more."

"Please yourself…and I'm sure you often do, but remember the situation," Nagaii sneered. "We've got all the information we need to take out SEELE, and NERV's only going to last till the angels are gone. Might be a good idea to consider new employment." Nagaii was considering tossing another jab in, but it was then that she noted the descending helicopter.

"Anyhow, it looks like they're landing, so I'll leave you to your fun...we should all enjoy the time we have." Chuckling lightly (until she had another coughing fit), she walked off as the copter landed and the three housemates disembarked, and soon encountered a redhead.

"It's been a long time, Asuka," Misato commented, looking at the girl in the yellow sundress. "You've grown a bit, I see."

"And not just my height! My figure's filled out as well!" Asuka promptly boasted, just as a stray gust of wind ended up showing exactly what she meant! As Shinji added something else to his list of reasons why he had to spend a lot of time in cold water, Asuka went to give him an almighty slap! However, the redhead was stunned when she found her intended blow intercepted by Rei.

"I would rather you didn't attack my brother," she muttered softly, Asuka's wrist in her deceptively strong grip. Asuka gave her a glare, but apparently decided not to press the issue for the moment. Instead, she gave Shinji the once over.

"This is the Third Child?" she commented distastefully. "Not much to look at..." Groaning at this, Misato decided to just get things over with, and was soon leading the less- than-merry group to the bridge.

"Yes," the Admiral growled lowly as he looked over Misato's credentials. "I guessed you were the leader of this little youth group. Just try not to cause any trouble until we get to port."

"Well, this is a wonderful meeting isn't it?" came a male voice that caused Asuka to practically squeal in delight. Letting out a heavy groan, Misato looked about and saw Kaji entering the room.

"Right, well we'll just be going below now," Misato grimaced, quickly practically shoving Shinji and Rei toward a stairwell while mumbling 'I am calm' repeatedly.

"Misato, are you alright?" asked a concerned Shinji. "You look a little green..."

"I'm fine..." Misato replied as she rather desperately tried to center herself. _Oh, damn this is going to be a long trip._

Things only got worse when the five of them were all stuffed into an elevator that had been designed for three, resulting in some rather embarrassing moments for them, but Shinji most of all. Soon afterwards, the group was seated in the mess hall with glasses of water, some small appetizers, and Kaji trying to play footsy with Misato. _Soul of Ice, Soul of Ice,_ Misato kept thinking, only half-tempted to just let her temper flare bright green and give Kaji the ass-kicking he'd been begging for all of his life!

"So, Shinji," Kaji commented, basically ignoring Misato's attempts to ignore him. "It's nice to finally meet the famous Third Child."

"Oh, I'm not that great..." Shinji replied, scratching the back of his head.

"No need to be modest. You've been doing very well from what I hear," Kaji returned, pointedly ignoring the angry look Asuka shot at him. "One thing I'd like to ask you, though."

"What?"

"Is Misato still as frisky in bed as she used to be?" As everyone but Shinji freaked at this, Asuka made warding gestures while Misato sprang up, her eyes taking on a dangerous tint. Rei moved quickly to cut off her potential transformation by splashing the Captain with her glass of water. Gasping as the sudden cooling had the desired effect, Misato grimacing and gestured for Rei to follow her, figuring she shouldn't push her luck.

"Thanks...that was a close one," noted the flustered Captain.

"You are welcome," Rei replied. "Though…I do not understand why what he said made you so angry."

Blinking several times, Misato just looked at the albino in disbelief."…You know Rei, you're either a mother's dream or worst nightmare. I just can't decide which." The girl just gave her a questioning look, to which Misato rolled her eyes. "Never mind. I really have to get you out more, but that's not really important right now."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Many dramas unfolded that day. Small dramas like Asuka showing off her Eva to Shinji, and large ones like the Sixth Angel attacking the fleet. However, while all these events unfolded, one tiny but particularly significant event took place. While Shinji was trying to squeeze himself into one of Asuka's spare plug suits, Kaji was making ready to abandon the potentially doomed ship. However, as he conversing with Gendo on his cell phone, Nagaii and a non-descript sailor silently crept into his room. Blissfully unaware of the fact that he had company until he hang up the phone, Kaji soon found himself seeing stars and comets when Nagaii bashed him over the head.

"Night night," Nagaii grinned as her sailor companion grabbed a large black case from among Kaji's thing, and then quickly produced a second identical one. The sailor then rippled, turning into a human-shaped mass of blackness, before shaping itself into a blonde woman in a uniform identical to Nagaii's. The woman was a rare beauty, with only her horns and jet black eyes as proof that she was not exactly human.

"Really," the horned woman commented. "I thought he was a bit smarter than that."

"Even the best have off days. Now let's check this little bastard out," Nagaii decided, popping open both cases. "Hmmmmm... Yes, yes...Good, the lab boys managed it. This little one oughta give Gendo something to think about." She let out a rather disturbing giggle as the other woman rolled her eyes.

"Can we just get on with this? The Emperor doesn't like to be kept waiting you know."

"He likes sloppy workmanship even less," Nagaii remarked, slamming both cases shut and grabbing the original. "There. Really, Kappa, I'd think you'd be less tense all the time! Isn't that husband of yours doing his job?"

"Oh, just shut up, you know he's in Nevada! Really, you're easier to deal with when you're foaming at the mouth psychotic, you know that?" Kappa retorted disdainfully. "Never mind, let's just the hell get out of here, I'm not keen on watching this fishing show."

Negaii gave a quick nod to this. "Right let's go." With that, the two left by literally vanishing into the shadows.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Misato dragged herself out of the water, she could only think one thing; that this was quite possibly one of the worst days of her entire life, second only to Second Impact.

Shinji and Asuka had both used Unit 02 in order to battle the Angel, a battle that ended with the red Eva floating about in the water like a worm on a hook, a worm that forced the Angel's mouth open so that she could ram two forcibly sunken destroyers right down its throat, where they could unleash all of their firepower straight down upon the belly of the beast.

Of course, Misato's strategy had caused her some grief, because she had been forced to argue with the Admiral about the wisdom of scuttling two of his boats to save the day. She had been struggling with her temper the entire time, just barely keeping at bay as Rei had stood nearby, squeezing her hand and reminding her when her temper was getting the better of the Captain.

They had just gotten back to shore, and Misato had been feeling very pleased with herself over keeping herself in check as well as she had, Kaji had popped up out of nowhere in a jet and just took off, saying he had a delivery to make! That had been the last straw, on top of many similar straws, and Misato, feeling the pain that signified that she was about to change, had thrown all pretense to the wind and just jumped off the ship.

_Damn, this sucks! I've _got_ to get better at controlling this thing before I go completely nuts!_ Misato commented, ruefully examining a slight tear in her blouse that signified just how close she had come. She was startled when she heard another splashing impact, and when the Captain looked about, she saw the sodden head of Rei Ayanami pop up above the water. "Rei?! What happened?!"

"I…saw Ikari-kun. He had several bruises, and a blackened eye," Rei replied as Misato swam closer. "When I realized that Pilot Sohryu had been physically abusing him, I…became angry."

"And you started to change, too?" Misato gathered. When Rei nodded somberly, Misato shook her head in dismay. "That tears it. We've_ got_ to get a better handle on this thing, and _fast!_"

"Yes," Rei agreed, noting the tears in her clothes that showed just how close a call _she_ had had.

Meanwhile, back on the ship, Asuka was looking at Misato and Rei climb back to dry land. "Is everyone around here insane?" the redhead wondered. Shinji was too busy trying to get the feeling back in his lower half to really answer that.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that day at NERV HQ, Ritsuko and Misato were going over the data from the fight. "Hmmmm...Interesting," the faux-blonde commented. "Both their synch rates jumped during the last moments of the fight..."

"Probably because of the fact they were nearly fish food," Misato decided. "But frankly, there's a lot of things that I've been wanting to talk to you about that I've been putting it off."

"I have no idea why Rei is so much different then you if that's what you mean."

"I know that, but there's a lot of other interesting facts she's been telling me," Misato sneered. "Mostly about where she came from, and I'm pretty sure that wasn't in the plan."

"You're right..." Ritsuko sighed loudly, knowing that it was going to be a long night indeed.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

At about this time, Nagaii and Kappa had returned to their home base where they were met by a mousy-looking black-haired woman, who was clad in a rather disheveled, frumpy clothing and wore thick glasses.

"Ahhh, your back," she greeted them. "The master wanted to me greet you he's…occupied."

"Right, getting pooched again huh?" Nagaii guessed. "I'm guessing you drew the short straw, eh, Kyoko? Anyhow everything went according to plan." She then gestured at Kappa, who popped open the case, revealing what appeared to be an embryo.

"Doesn't look like a hell of a lot, does it?" asked Kyoko.

"It'll look like even less when we're done with it," Kappa grinned.

"Adam, the First Angel…What a lot of bullshit," snorted Nagaii. "All this fuss over a blob."


	4. Chapter 4

**Brain Dead 12 ½ studios presents:**

**Evahulk**

**Chapter 4:**

**Blackout**

**Or**

**The chapter with the most skimming**

Waking up at the crack of dawn, Rei Ayanami blinked several times as she slowly rose from her futon. Clearing her mind of the sleep that still pervaded it, she looked about…and her eyes soon fell upon the still slumbering Asuka Langley-Sohryu.

Furrowing her brows in an unseen display of disgust, Rei thought of all the things that had happened since she had met the volatile redhead on the _Over the Rainbow._ The Seventh Angel had arrived soon after, resulting in Units 01 and 02 being deployed, only for the Evas to quickly be defeated when the Angel split into two separate monsters. Then, with the understanding that the pilots had to learn how to work together, Misato made the decision to have Asuka move in with them, with the redhead now sharing the same room as Rei. Something that had made both girls very unhappy.

_Look at how she flaunts herself,_ Rei thought angrily as she examined the horde of belongings Asuka had brought with her, recalling how she had first assumed that her moving must mean that she was replacing the 'inferior' pilots as Misato's housemates. It taken a substantial amount of willpower on Rei's part to keep from transforming into a Hulk, and transforming Asuka into a nasty stain on the floor.

Still, forced close exposure had forced them to get along better, or at least tolerate each other's proximity, though Shinji was taking more cold showers for reasons he wouldn't specify. And the Seventh Angel had been defeated, though not by the means intended by the heads of NERV.

More recently, the Eighth Angel had appeared and had been dealt, something that Asuka had yet to stop crowing about, and the temptation to simply smash her into oblivion grew. Rei kept that temptation in check, more out of her desire to not let her growing emotional awareness be discovered than any real feelings she had for the girl's life.

"Rei? Are you awake?" came Misato's voice. Looking up, Rei saw the Captain peeking from her door, already dressed in her training garment, a NERV jumpsuit. Misato preferred to use those when she practiced, just in case she transformed involuntarily. She had already had two involuntary transformations since Rei had come to live with her, and the Captain had made it clear that she refused to destroy any more of her own clothes than necessary.

"Yes," the albino whispered. Then, quickly indicating Asuka, Rei stood as Misato nodded. It was time for their morning routine. Soon the two of them were stealthily leaving the apartment and riding the elevator down. Then, they quickly fled to a small back alley and, after taking a moment to make sure no one would see them, Rei stripped down to the buff. As Misato gathered up the albino's own clothes, Rei smiled in anticipation as she unleashed the transformation, barely holding in the desire to roar out of sheer delight. It wouldn't do to wake up anyone and be discovered.

"I've just _got_ to get control of that," Misato stated enviously as Rei picked her up, placing the Captain upon her back. Then, with an ease born of weeks of practice, Rei leapt into the sky, and the two were soon on their way to the chosen training ground; a nice, out of the way spot in the hills, where no one was likely to come upon them, and there they would spend a couple hours each morning.

"You _are_ getting better at remaining in control," Rei pointed out as the wind whipped through her hair. "Since Pilot Sohryu has arrived, you have transformed only twice involuntarily. You did not transform at all during the operation to destroy the Eighth Angel."

"Yeah, I know," Misato replied. "But I've had so many close calls, and people are starting to wonder why I keep splashing myself with water! Not to mention that when I _do_ change, I'm _still_ not in control! And you have _no_ idea how much I want to control this thing!"

_On the contrary, Captain Katsuragi, I know _exactly_ how much you wish to be in control,_ Rei thought with a shudder of fear, thinking of the one time Misato had allowed the transformation to occur, letting her rage take over completely without making any effort to stop it…

_(Flashback)_

"They look so helpless, don't they?" Misato asked, standing on cliff that had not existed before an N2 mine had detonated. She, along with Rei, had come to the sight of the failed battle against the Seventh Angel, where the two components of the beast stood frozen, their exteriors melted from the blast. Slowly healing before they renewed their trek to Tokyo 3. "It wouldn't take much to just…wipe them out. Right now."

"I suppose not," Rei admitted. "However, additional N2 mines would be insufficient, and both Units 01 and 02 are still undergoing repairs. They will not be able to engage before the Angel recovers."

"I know," Misato replied, shaking her head at the monsters. "Rei, do you know why I joined NERV?"

The question took the albino by surprise. "No…the question never occurred to me."

"I was there, you know. When Second Impact occurred," Misato explained, taking the albino by surprise. "I was about your age at the time. You see, my father was in charge of researching Adam when it happened."

"I see," Rei murmured. "However, if you were there…then how did you survive?"

Misato didn't say anything at first, but she did, her words were charged with sadness, bitterness, and hate. "Well, you see, my father lived for my work. He…never really had time for me, or my mother. He always did…everything he could to avoid human contact. You have no idea how mad that made me, watching my mother cry herself to sleep over him. Then, she finally had enough, and then, on the day before Second Impact, she told him that she was going to divorce him."

"He probably would have been relieved, if he was as fearful of human contact as you say he was," Rei guessed.

"Yeah, you might think so, but when she told him…he looked so pathetic, and he begged her not to. As for me, I just laughed. I honestly thought he deserved it," Misato spat, recalling how she had dirtied herself as a little girl, getting in trouble, just out of the hope that her father would finally drop his work and pay just a bit of attention to her. "But then, the Second Impact occurred, and…he saved me. My mom died right away, but my dad lived just long enough to save my life, putting me in an emergency capsule that survived the blast. When I realized that…I didn't know whether I loved him or hated him." Rei had nothing to say to that. She could stare at Misato as she continued. "All I really knew was that I wanted to kill the Angels that had caused the Second Impact. Hell, it might be that I still hate him, and just want to avenge him so I can get out of his shadow, can forget how he had saved me."

"I…doubt it will ever be that simple," Rei offered. "I do not understand emotions very well, but…"

"You understand them enough for that," Misato decided, looking over shoulder at Rei. "But there's something you should also know; standing here, looking at those two monsters, and thinking of that day…it's making me _very_ angry."

"What?" Rei got out as she saw Misato's eyes slowly turning green even as the purple-haired woman began shucking her clothes. "Captain…what are you doing?!"

"There's no one around here to see me, there's an Angel out there, just waiting to be killed, and I'll be _damned_ if I'm just going to ignore it!" Misato snarled, the green in her eyes becoming more intense as she continued to strip. "It's because of these damned things that you and the others have to go out and fight! _I'm_ the one who wants revenge on them! You shouldn't have to fight the goddamned things!"

"But…!" Rei got out as the Misato groaned in pain as the transformation slowly began.

"I won't let…you fight…if I can stop it! And I think it's high time…to see how well a Hulk does…against an Angel!" Misato gasped as she kicked off her shoes and dropped her skirt, even as her muscles grew rapidly, causing her underwear to burst apart. "Rei…you have to make sure that…I don't go somewhere else! Make…sure…that…I…I…_rarrrghh!"_

Before Rei's eyes, Misato's control was completely lost, and the She-Hulk of Tokyo 3 appeared before her and roared furiously! _So…this is what it is like to see it from the outside,_ Rei thought as the creature looked around, searching for whatever had caused her to appear…before her gaze focused on the Angel. Watching as the She-Hulk's eyes narrowed, her body trembled with rage, Rei knew that Misato's concerns were completely unfounded. The She-Hulk had no intention of going anywhere. She _knew_ who her enemy was.

"Misato, perhaps I should come with…" Rei began to offer, but was cut short as the She-Hulk leapt off the cliff. Making her way towards the two components of the Seventh Angel. The albino continued to watch as the She-Hulk slowly made her way to the monsters, never once losing sight of her goal. And she never once took her eyes away from the spectacle of the She-Hulk savagely and gleefully tearing the two pieces of the Angel apart with her bare hands, her roars of delight echoing all over the landscape.

Later, Pilot Sohryu would snarl about the monster that had stolen her chance to get back at the Seventh Angel. Shinji would sigh in relief at being spared that battle. However, what would make Rei tremble with fear was the truly satisfied smile that Misato wore whenever they brought up the Seventh Angel from then on, despite the paperwork she had been forced to deal with as a result of it.

_(End Flashback)_

"I still wish I could remember what exactly I did to that damned Angel," Misato commented as they continued towards their training ground.

_How ironic,_ Rei thought nervously, fully aware of the dangerous beast that lurked in her guardian. _For ever since that day, I've been wishing that I could forget that._

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Upon arriving at their chosen training ground, the two women went about their usual routines, with Misato practicing her meditation, while Rei went about various katas, getting better control of her Hulk form. Misato had taken to calling the mutated creatures Hulks in general, with her transformed state being the She-Hulk, with Rei's the R-Hulk. When Rei asked why she had done this, Misato had been unable to come up with a better answer than, 'It felt right'.

"Damn it," Misato grumbled an hour later, even as her legs were cramping up from being in the lotus position for too long.

"What's wrong?" Rei wondered, approaching the frustrated woman.

"Oh, it's nothing," Misato snorted. "I guess I should probably be grateful I'm doing as well as I am but I feel like I'm running into a wall here. I mean, as myself, not as the She-Hulk."

"Well..." Rei murmured after a moment's thought. "I've been thinking. So far, I've only had trouble controlling the change once, when I saw Shinji after he and Asuka had been in Unit Two. I've been fairly angry...at least, I think its anger, I don't understand these emotions any better now then when I didn't have them, but I haven't had any trouble beyond that. Since every change I've done has been voluntary, I was thinking perhaps it's easier to keep from being forced after you've done it yourself a few times. After all, you have had less difficulty refraining from transforming since you destroyed the Seventh Angel, when you allowed the transformation to happen."

"Hmmmm..." Misato pondered, examining the notion from every angle. "I hadn't actually thought about it that way, but you've got a point. There's just one problem, though; I've got _no_ _idea_ how to make myself change without getting mad! Hell, I don't even know if I _can!_"

"Well, I only have to focus on changing to trigger it," Rei returned. "It might work the same way for you."

"Eh, why not?" Misato grumbled, shrugging as she did. "Can't think of anything else to do." So she took a deep breath and concentrated, trying to focus on the gamma energy within her. For a moment nothing seemed to happen, but then she began to feel a slight tingling sensation. "Well, something's happening…" she remarked, looking down at herself, and seeing that the ugly NERV coveralls she was wearing were feeling much tighter. Then the change her hit her like a sledgehammer, causing her to gasp in shock and awe.

"Whoa…" Misato got out around the sound of her clothes being torn apart. There was still pain as her own slender frame gave way to the hugely muscled form of the She-Hulk, but it was completely overwhelmed by the pleasure and ecstasy of the transformation, the intoxicating sensation of her muscles growing. Finally, it ended and, with a mighty roar, the She-Hulk of Tokyo 3 rose from the lotus position she'd been.

"Damn…" Misato murmured simply, looking down upon herself. "Wish I'd tried that before..." Then, like a thunderbolt, the fact that she was still herself sunk in, causing her eyes to shoot wide open. "It's always the simple things, isn't it?" she asked ruefully, experimentally flexing her arm, whistling at the veritable mountain of a bicep.

"Well, that was a success," Rei noted in relief, not liking the idea of having to fight Misato if the savage that lurked in her were still in control. "Changing back is about the same by the way."

"Good. Great as this feels, I get the feeling being regular Misato once in a while's going to be more workable. It'd still probably be a good idea to keep training; I've never really used this body before." Rei just nodded to this, and since it was closing in on their usual time to return home, they decided to pack it in for the day. Despite her concerns about not be able to use her new form effectively, Misato enjoyed not having to be carried this time.

Sometime later, after changing back and making sure that no one sighted them, Misato and Rei were able to slip back into the apartment before Shinji and Asuka woke up. "Rei," Misato started, her eyes wide with surprise. Having been about to return to the room she shared with Asuka, Rei looked at Misato, whose face was twisting with rapture. "I just remembered…"

"Remembered?" Rei wondered, before recognizing the look in the Captain's eyes, the look the She-Hulk had had when she had gone out to face the Seventh Angel. "I…see. Then…you are pleased?"

"Oh, yeah," Misato grinned with pure satisfaction, sending a nervous shudder down Rei's spine. "_Very _pleased."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few days later, days that went strictly according to routine with the children heading to school and Misato going to work at NERV. It was late that afternoon when things started going wrong. While Misato tried (in vain) to keep from having to share an elevator with Kaji, the freakish pair known as Nagaii and Kappa appeared deep in the base, within the MAGI core itself.

"Right, this should be close enough," Kappa's voice emerged from a large patch of darkness. "They could have built the damn thing with a little more headroom."

"Oh, cut your bitching. We'll be able to shut them down easily enough from here," Nagaii countered before removing a finger from her left hand. "Robotic limbs are wonderful," she remarked as a long wire emerged from her hand, which she quickly plugged into a seemingly random spot. "Okay NERV, it's time to play pick an orifice. Ready? Lights out!" The words were barely out of her mouth when Tokyo Three suddenly went dark.

"What the heck?" Misato demanded as the elevator that had become a torture chamber suddenly stopped.

"Power failure?" Kaji suggested.

"There's so many breakers around here, this shouldn't last for more then a minute..."

"I get the feeling there's a but."

"Yeah..." Misato admitted. "The chances of this happening at all are damn slim...something stinks..."

"You sound a bit paranoid."

"Considering everything that's been happening lately I can't afford not to be," Misato answered. then, thinking to herself, _Damn it all. I could get out of here easy enough, but I'd rather not be spreading the word that I'm the She-Hulk around! I _really_ don't need all those bar owners looking for me... _Thinking of what her mutated other had done the last couple times she had lost control, and the damage she had done to the local liquor industry, Misato cringed just thinking of the bill she would get if they ever found her out.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"So what you're saying," Ritsuko started, looking at Lieutenant Aoba, "is that not only is the power out, the MAGI are inaccessible?"

"That seems to be it," Aoba confirmed. The bridge crew and the doctor had made it the bridge, for all the good it was currently doing them. "We can confirm they're still running, but other than that, nothing."

"Someone's attacking the MAGI directly? Is that even possible?" asked Maya.

"It shouldn't be. Even if there were another MAGI system being used against us, we'd have had more warning than this. The only way this could happen would be if someone was inside the MAGI core…but that should be impossible," Ritsuko mused as the Bridge Bunnies worked. All of them completely unaware that the Ninth Angel, which had been on its way to Tokyo Three, had just fallen victim to a trap made especially for it. The spider-like creature was now dead, clearing the way for others to their work…

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, the pilots were having difficulties of their own. After realizing that the power was out and that their ID Cards had been rendered useless, as well as their cell phones, the Children had been forced to find an alternative means of getting into NERV. The latest of the indignities they had to endure was being forced to crawl about in the ventilation ducts.

"You know, Asuka..." Shinji started, deliberately avoiding looking up her dress, to avoid giving her an excuse to kick him in the face. "I've been thinking."

"First time for everything, huh?" Asuka joked, causing Rei scowl furiously at the redhead.

"Why are we fighting Angels?" Shinji wondered. "Aren't they supposed to be messengers from God or something like that?"

"What are you, stupid?" Asuka demanded. "What difference does it make? We've got a job to do!"

"I have to agree with Asuka," Rei muttered, shocking both the others. "We should get moving." The two of them agreed with the albino, and continued to move forward.

Eventually, the three Children reached an obstruction. The tunnel they were using had collapsed, rendering it impassable. "There's no way I can move this with my hands..." Shinji groaned, while Asuka sighed in silent agreement.

"Don't worry," Rei stated, smiling slightly as she stepped forward. "I can."

"_What?!_" Asuka screeched, her eyes wide as Shinji looked at the albino in shock. "So, what? All of a sudden, you think you're that Hulk-thing that's been wandering around, is that it?!"

"No. I haven't been the one doing the wandering," Rei answered simply. Before either of her companions could say anything about that, Rei began her transformation, gasping in pleasure as she exploded out of her school uniform. As tattered cloth fell to the ground, the R-Hulk stood before the two stunned Eva pilots, both of whom then spent a moment or two trying to get their mouths to close enough to talk.

Unfortunately, it was Asuka who recovered first. "What the hell?" the German spat, her eyes bugging out of their sockets. "Oh, great! Next thing you know, you'll tell us Misato is that other one!" Rei didn't say anything, as she felt it would be Misato's place to tell them. She decided it was fortunate that retained a perfect poker face, despite her growing emotional state. "And you haven't mentioned this to us until now…because?"

"I did not feel it was the proper time," Rei stated simply. "Now, if I may proceed…?" With that, she stepped forward and easily smashed the blockage with a single punch. Shinji finally managed to get his brain in forward gear again, while Asuka just scowled and mumbled something that sounded like "showoff."

-------------------------------------------------------------

"Really, now," Nagaii smirked in the MAGI core, her work almost complete, "I thought Gendo would add a little more to the security end of this thing."

"He probably wasn't expecting this kind of attack," Kappa shrugged. "Are you about done?"

"Patience, we'll have what we need soon enough," Nagaii assured her. "Besides, it's not like we have much to worry about from anyone here but the Hulks."

"Who's worried? There's just too strong of a smug asshole smell around this dump. And you're responsible for about half of it."

"Touchy," Nagaii stated before smiling in delight. "There...that should be all we need, let's let them know we're here."

"Finally," grunted Kappa as Nagaii turned the power back on.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What the hell's going on?" said a very upset Ritsuko as the power was unexpectedly restored.

"I can answer that," came Nagaii's voice, her image appearing on the bridge display screens. "I'm Nagaii of the Neo-Sapien Order. We decided to we'd give you a heads up that we're around before the fun gets started."

"How did you..." Ritsuko started, wondering for a moment why this Nagaii sounded so familiar, even as Gendo thought similar thoughts behind his own perfect poker face.

"Shut you down? You don't need to know that now, trust me though when I say you will. Tell me, Commander, do you remember me?" she said, grinning like a shark. "No, of course you don't. Anyway, don't bother going for your guns, we'll be gone before any of you monkey boys can get shot off. Just remember; we've found our way in once, we can do it again." She then broke out laughing.

"You really are a ham, you know that?" came Kappa's voice from off-screen. "Anyhow, NERV, consider this an informal declaration of war. You'll be getting our formal one soon enough. Good night!" With that, the screens went dark as the two disappeared, leaving the staff more confused than ever.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Misato was thanking her lucky stars that the elevator started working again before her bladder hit critical, and the Children finally found their way out of the maze of tunnels and conduits by means of Rei smashing walls until they found a hallway, at which point the lights came back on. Later that day, after Misato and the pilots had been informed of what had happened while they were indisposed, they retreated to their apartment. There, Misato and Rei were soon sitting in the kitchen talking, Shinji and Asuka having retreated into their rooms on arrival.

"So, you told them, huh?" Misato asked.

"Yes," Rei nodded "It seemed as good a time as any."

"I'm not saying it wasn't, I've been waiting for it to feel like the right time too," Misato sighed. "Either way, that's not what I want to talk about. Whoever this Neo-Sapien Order are, they obviously are going to be coming after NERV again eventually. And next time I don't think they're just going to be surfing the MAGI."

"If I may say so, I believe they will not become involved until the angels are dealt with," Rei stated.

"I'd like to bet on that, too, but these days, it's not good to take anything for granted," Misato returned.

"Good point."

"I'm frankly amazed there haven't been any disasters with the Angels yet," Misato went on. "I mean, where we actually had to transform in order to stop them."

"Yes, I would have expected something," Rei admitted. "But we still need to be prepared for the possibility."

"Yeah...Too damn many things going on these days," Misato agreed before her expression became concerned. "By the way, how'd Shinji and Asuka take finding out?"

"Shinji didn't really react, and Asuka...it almost seemed like she was jealous."

"Knowing Shinji, he's still trying to wrap his head around all of this. I can't really blame him; I'm still not entirely sure what to think about it," Misato stated ruefully. "As for Asuka…well, you know how she is. Probably upset you've got a chance of one-upping her. I wouldn't worry about it."

"I'm not. Akagi seemed particularly upset when she told us what happened."

"Yeah...well, I know she's upset someone was able to get into the MAGI like that, but...I have no idea what that Nagaii person said, but it seemed like she must have hit something. Ritsuko hides it fairly well, but she's got a few soft spots. Either way, we have to be careful."

"Yes. As for Asuka, I've been putting off dealing with her for long enough I'd say." Rei remarked, getting up from her seat.

"Good luck." They both grinned at that.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

"We got them pretty good, I'd say," Kappa stated, she and Nagaii in the conference room of the NSO HQ.

"Yeah, you should have seen the look on Ikari's face!" Nagaii boasted, obviously in high spirits. "_Definitely_ worth the trouble!"

"So glad you enjoyed yourself," the Emperor's powerful voice echoed, drawing their attention. "Everything is going according to plan."

"Yeah," Nagaii smirked. "I really can't see why we're letting them handle the Angels! After all, our little trap took care of the last one just fine!"

"Limited resources," answered Nescaro. "Besides the old farts have been planning for this a long time; might as well let them grasp some fleeting moment of triumph before we snuff them out. Speaking of which…let's check up on that."

"Very well, sir," came Fenir's voice from his obelisk. "We can proceed with the council's elimination at any time."

"Excellent," Nescaro stated. "So the only real dangling thread we have is Shrivanzella's little side project."

"Bah, all this bad noise about the past," Nagaii grumbled.

"You're a one to talk," muttered Kappa.

"Alright, alright, enough of this!" Nescaro cut in. Please, before Nagaii decides to cut herself and bleeds all over the damn conference table again."

"Too late," Nagaii oozed, having rammed a knife through her palm at some point in the conversation and was currently wiggling it around.

"Oh, for…Bloody hell! Get the cleaners in here!" Nescaro bellowed.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day in Gendo's office, the Bastard King of NERV had more-or-less regained his composure. Though annoyed with the situation with the Order, but had decided to go ahead with business as usual. "So," Fuyutsuki started. "We're going to go ahead with acquiring Unit Three?"

"Yes," Gendo replied, smirking as he considered how his plans were increasing the size of his son's therapy bill. "The best thing for the moment is to proceed as if this incident didn't happen."

"We still have no idea how those two managed to do it, or who's behind this Order."

"Keep working on it. I'll do what I can to keep the old man guessing. Whomever this Neo-Sapien Order are, we'll take care of them later," Gendo stated as he departed, planning on meeting with Ritsuko to discuss the latest of their side-projects, the Dummy Plug System.

"Of course," Fuyutsuki agreed, while thinking privately, _And monkeys are going to fly out of my ass._ For ever since Nagaii's little announcement, everyone at NERV who had witnessed it was suddenly feeling a lot more paranoid. NERV, of course, had several enemies, human and Angel alike. However, a group that could simply appear and disappear seemingly at will, and right in one of the most vital areas of their HQ, no less, had everyone looking over their shoulders. Fuyutsuki himself had ended up jumping at his own shadow twice that day.


	5. Chapter 5

**Brain Dead 12 ½ studios presents:**

**Evahulk**

**Chapter 5:**

**Of computers, clinical depression and exposition**

**Or**

**Things to do in Tokyo 3 when you're (brain) dead**

"Misato," Rei began. She and Misato were going through their morning training as She-Hulk and R-Hulk, getting a better feel for what their mutated bodies were capable of. "You are certain there are no other rooms in our home that Asuka can sleep in?"

"Frankly, I'm starting to wonder if having her live with us was that good an idea after all," Misato answered, her doubts clear in her voice as she thought about everything that had happened lately. About a week after the blackout that had plunged Tokyo-3 into darkness, Misato had been promoted to Major, just in time for the arrival of the 10th Angel.

After a coordinated effort by all three Evas had led to the Angel's destruction, the members of the Katsuragi household had spoken about it as little as possible. The exception had been Asuka, who had been in a smug mood since getting her second kill. This had lasted just as long as it had taken Asuka to start bullying Shinji again, which provoked Rei enough to provoke her into transforming into R-Hulk, at which point she had knocked Asuka around enough to dissuade the redhead…for a time.

This has sent Asuka's mood several miles south of abysmal, which had meant a great deal of time on punching bag duty for Shinji. This resulted in Rei's mood declining, and her spending a lot of time ruining her clothes.

"By the way," R-hulk began. "Today is the experiment, correct?"

"Oh, yeah, I nearly forgot about that," She-Hulk answered. "Do you understand a word of what this one's about? I certainly don't."

"I do not bother trying to figure such things out," deadpanned R-Hulk.

"I can never figure out if you're serious," She-Hulk shook her head. "Anyhow, Asuka and Shinji will be up soon, so we'd better head back." As R-Hulk nodded, a thought crossed She-Hulk's mind. "Incidentally, I told you about Ranma, the guy that gave me those scrolls we've been studying right?"

"Yes," R-Hulk nodded.

"I'm thinking of paying him a visit in the next couple of days. Want to come?" R-Hulk gave her a questioning look. "I thought he might want to meet his other student," She-Hulk explained with a grin, to which the grey-skinned beast shrugged.

Soon the two were bounding back into Tokyo-3, taking a moment to duck into their changing alley to transform back and grab their clothes. Once dressed, they snuck into the building and back to their apartment. Soon enough, Shinji and Asuka were awake, and the rest of the daily routine at the Katsuragi home for the mentally disturbed played out; the three children headed to school to face another day of droning lectures and speculation about the She-Hulk from their peers. While Rei's alter-ego had not surfaced in public enough to get beyond rumor status for the majority of Tokyo-3, the She-Hulk had made enough public appearances (and caused enough property damage) that almost everyone accepted her existence.

While the many students debated whether or not it would be a great thing to run into such a massive woman, Misato made her way to NERV. Everything was pretty much routine until later in the day, when Misato wandered in Ritsuko and Maya, who were getting things ready for their latest experiment.

"Well, Ritsuko, look at you," Misato smiled. "Three impossible things and you still beat the schedule."

Ritusko gave her long time friend a hooded look, trying to make sense of the Major's behavior. It was no secret that, with all the revelations that Misato had gone through recently, the purple-haired woman no longer trusted the doctor as far as a normal human could throw an Evangelion, but for the most part, Misato seemed to be trying to act as if very little had changed. Ritsuko's attempts to get an explanation from Misato in regards to this had been answered fairly consistently with, 'I can keep secrets, too'.

"So how much longer before you're ready?" Misato wondered.

"Shouldn't be much longer," Ritsuko answered. "Though I can tell you right now…Asuka's really not going to like this one."

"When does she like anything? Ever since she found out about Rei, she's just been looking for things to get mad about," Misato noted grimly. "It's not like Rei's even shown her up in a combat situation." This said, Misato returned her focus to the present. "So…anything about this test you're not telling me?"

"No, this one's exactly what it says. Not everything at NERV is a conspiracy; just most things," Ritsuko countered with muted humor. Humor that was cut short when Misato gave her a look. "Yeah, that doesn't sound very convincing, does it?"

"Not at all." Anything further the two might have said was cut off when they were informed the children had arrived. It was now time to face the music on what was likely to be the most unpleasant test thus far. A few minutes later…

"What?" came Asuka's irritated voice over the intercom as she and the other two neuroses poster children moved towards the Evas. "You want me to take my clothes off again?"

"The next chamber is an ultra clean room environment," Ritsuko explained in an irritated voice. "Just taking a shower and changing your underwear isn't enough. Now get on with it."

"Yes ma'am," Rei replied, Shinji not saying a word, and Asuka making an unintelligible grunt.

"Alright," growled Asuka as short time later as the three stood in the clean room. "I'm here just like you wanted, butt naked and run through the wash cycle 17 times."

"Good," Ritsuko replied. "And I want you to stay that way as you enter the plugs."

"What?" screamed Asuka. "What the hell does this have to do with an auto pilot test!"

"Told you," Misato muttered, earning a glare from Ritsuko.

"Part of the purpose of this test is to monitor the harmonics directly from your bodies without the interference of your plug suits," Ritsuko explained slowly. "Don't worry; all the recording equipment has been turned off. We do respect you privacy."

"Oh sure!" Asuka snorted derisively. "But I'm not a part-time nudist like wondergirl!"

"It is difficult to find clothes that fit…" Rei muttered under her breath, the image of the R-Hulk pounding Asuka into red jelly appearing in her mind, causing a smile to appear on her face.

"That _is_ something I've been wondering about," Ritusko began, narrowing her eyes as she looked at Misato, "Why do you…?"

"Run around naked when I'm the She-Hulk?" Misato anticipated. "Three reasons. One, it's hard to find clothes that fit when I'm like that. Two, I don't seem to get cold and it's not like I have to worry about getting something stuck in my foot or anything like that. And three…" she paused in thought for a moment, a wicked smile appearing on her face. "Well, if you had _that_ kind of body, would you want to cover it up?"

"Somehow, I should have seen that coming," Ritsuko muttered, rolling her eyes in disbelief.

"Yep," Misato agreed impishly. While the two continued to talk, the children were getting into their entry plugs and the experiment began. While the children were using the plugs to control headless simulation Evas, the MAGI began collecting data on them.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Several hours later, Misato was making her way through the geofront, a trio of terry cloth robes in her arms.

"What a night," Misato grumbled as she drew closer to the lake where the three entry plugs wound up after being ejected from NERV. Shortly after the experiment had begun, fate once again decided it was time to give the good (and not so good) workers of NERV a bitch-slap in the form of the latest Angel. The 11th Messenger had taken the form of a nanotech virus, which had cut the test short and forced the evacuation of the pilots. While a desperate programming war between the Angel and Ritsuko was being waged with the fate of NERV hanging in the balance, Misato had realized that there was nothing she could do about it, short of smashing the MAGI, which Ritsuko had forbidden.

While Misato no longer trusted Ritsuko all that much these days, she did trust the other woman's skills, so she decided retrieving her currently nude and stranded charges would be a good idea, in case the worst came to the worst.

Thanking the fates that the water the plugs were stranded in was shallow, Misato went up one of them and pounded on the side. "Hello? Anyone home?" Misato asked, only to get an indigent shout for her trouble. "Damn… it had to be Asuka's first."

"Damn it, Misato!" shouted the Germanic Fireball. "What the hell kept you?"

"Other than the Angel invading the MAGI, you mean?" Misato responded indignantly. "Are you three alright?"

"I'm fine," Shinji answered with a noticeable stammer.

"I am undamaged," Rei replied, not bothering to wait for Misato. Instead, the albino opened the door to her plug, and leapt into the water.

"I'm alright! Now tell me you've brought some clothes!" Asuka whined. "It's cold in here!"

"Yes, I did! Now calm down," Misato replied with a devious grin as she noted her nude fellow gamma-mutant. "Though…come to think about it, the quickest way back would be to have Rei carry you both…" When Asuka started cursing in German, Misato quickly cut her off. "I'm kidding, it's not that far. Anyhow, I've got robes for you. Shinji, I'll just give you yours first."

"What! But Misato…!" Shinji panicked.

"Oh come on," Misato murmured teasingly. "It's not like I haven't seen you naked before." While Asuka started bellowing, Rei gave her housemate a questioning look. "Back when he first moved in? He wasn't expecting Pen Pen when he went to take a bath? So, no I wasn't trying to seduce him or anything."

"Yet," was Rei's response, issued with a hint of a smile on her lips. A smile that was erased as she started looking around.

"What is it?"

"I thought I heard something…" Rei tensed, her eyes darkening as her hair grew a bit longer. Before Misato could tell her otherwise, the albino's skin turned dark grey as she transformed into the R-Hulk. When the grey-skinned beast-woman failed to roar in delight over her transformation, Misato knew that something had to be wrong.

"I don't care if you heard the goddamned Third Impact! Get me out of here!" shouted Asuka, even as Rei motioned for Misato be quiet. The Major looked around as well, wondering if she should also transform.

"Yeesh! Everyone's so impatient around here," came an unfamiliar female voice.

"And they're jumpy, too," came a second voice, adding to their confusion.

"Who's there?" Misato demanded as Rei tensed for battle. "Show yourselves!"

"That'd be us," said a woman who suddenly stepped into view. The woman had long, green hair, and was wearing an odd white and black outfit that gave the impression of an undone straight jacket and bell bottoms. Adding to the weirdness of the situation was the second head resting on her shoulder, a head that was connected to her back by a long, serpentine neck that was visible, even in the darkness pervading the geofront. The second head had wild gray hair, long gleaming fangs, orange skin and a lot of oozing sores and pustules.

"Ain't we a sight to set your stomach back flipping eh?" the second head grinned.

"What the…?" Misato started, only to have her voice fail in the face of the creature before her. _And I used to think _I _was a freak?_

"My name is Kara," the normal-looking head hissed. "The other head is my sister Arak."

"And we're what happens when the lab boys forget to clean out the blender during genetic experiments," Arak grinned.

"Shut it," Kara growled, even as Arak stuck her tongue out at her.

"Okay…" Misato gritted, the temptation to transform and bludgeon the two-headed monstrosity into oblivion growing with each passing second. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say you two are from the Order?"

"Give the woman a shot of whiskey!" Arak hissed, even as a second part of hands emerged from the jacket and started clapping. Misato decided that the second hands were controlled by Arak, simply because they had large claws and skin similar to the second head. Noticing Misato's disgusted expression, Arak just grinned. "And if you think this is freakish, you should see what our tits look like when we're combined."

While Kara shot an annoyed look at her sister, Asuka reminded everyone of just how annoyed she was. "Hey! We're still stuck bare-butt naked in here!"

"Shut up trash!" shouted Arak. "We're here for the hulks."

Kara then pulled a folder out from the depths of her jacket. "You've obviously got some things to deal with now, so we'll just give you this. It's some information about your boss I think you'll find interesting," the more human of the sisters noted with sick humor, casually tossing the file down to ground a short distance from the lakes' edge. "We'll contact you again later."

"If you're going to try to get us to join you…" Misato started, eyeing her surroundings rapidly. She didn't like this. For those two to just show up, fully aware of what she and Rei were capable of…it either indicated extreme confidence that she had nothing to fear of them, or incompetent arrogance she hadn't seen evidenced by the Order to date.

"Well, just you," Arak corrected, nodding in Misato's direction. "We've got no use for a doll."

While Rei's features twisted with additional annoyance, Kara rolled her eyes skyward. "I must apologies for my sister, she's a total bitch. Anyhow, go ahead and read it over and see what you think then."

"We'll see you later," Arak smirked superiorly.

"And who says you're just going to walk out of here?" Misato wondered, once again trying to evaluate the situation.

"No one," chorused Kara and Arak. As Misato and Rei watched, the bizarre two-in-one creature appearing to sink into their own shadow. Kara waved goodbye in a mocking manner, while Arak flipped Rei the bird.

"Misato?" came Shinji's voice from his plug, even as the R-Hulk growled in frustration.

"Yeah?" Misato asked, once again scanning the area for any unpleasant surprises.

"Did what just happened make any more sense from where you are?"

"Nope," the purple-haired woman responded before cautiously moving to where the file had fallen. Tempted to transform and render herself mostly invulnerable, she restrained herself. NERV was already nagging her about her recently enlarged clothing budget

"Just checking," Shinji responded.

---------------------------------------------------------------

After Asuka and Shinji were finally retrieved from their plugs, the group returned to NERV, where they found that the Angel had already been dealt with. With Gendo making a point of that not one word of the Angel's invasion get out.

Time passed, and Ritsuko continued her experiments with the Dummy Plug system. Part of those experiments involved a compatibility test involving the three pilots. While Misato, Rei, and everyone else in the pribnow box were forced to listen to Asuka whine and complain, they were keeping an eye on Shinji, who was being tested in Unit Zero.

"So how are you doing in there?" asked Misato as Shinji allowed himself to synch with the Eva.

"It feels kinda weird…" Shinji admitted.

"Like incompatibility?" Ritsuko wondered with mild concern.

"No. It's just…it smells like Rei," Shinji explained.

"How the hell do you two even know what each other smell like?!" grumbled Asuka. "I'M the one that has to share a room with her." As she spoke, the various technicians went about their business, while Ritsuko was trying to reassure Maya that ends justified the means. That was when what Misato had come to think of as the 'fuck up' alarm sounded off. Just before Unit Zero roared in hatred.

"What's going on?!" demanded Misato.

"We've got a problem in the nerve connection!" shouted Ritsuko as Unit Zero began to struggle against its restraints.

"Shinji!" shouted Rei fearfully, the actual emotion in her voice shocking everyone.

"Is it rejecting him?"

"No, the auto eject isn't working, it's almost like it's trying to hold him in!" shouted Maya as the berserk Eva tore it's way free and began beating on the observation window.

"You still hate me, then," Rei murmured too softly for anyone to hear her. "Very well…" with that she took a deep breath, willing the change to trigger.

"Rei!" shouted Misato as the girl began bursting out of her plug suit. "What are you doing?"

"I will hold it back as best I can, you get the entry plug," R-hulk explained tersely as the windows began to give way.

"Are you two both insane?!" Ritsuko cried out as they hit the emergency cut off switch, disconnecting the Eva from its power source.

"I remember what happened the last time we had to wait for internal power to run out," R-Hulk grimaced, memories of the injuries she had been forced to endure as Rei resurfacing. "If I can avoid it, Shinji will not be spending time in the hospital again."

"Damn it…this is a little nuts," muttered Misato. "Then again, its better when waiting for the batteries to run out…I knew I should have worn an old dress today…" All her grumblings spoken, Misato grinned and followed Rei's example. Once she was done bursting her way free of her clothes, she couldn't help but smile and roar at the ecstasy of power that she now felt.

Once Unit Zero had bashed it's way through the window, R-hulk moved quickly to intercept the crazed bio-mech's fist, absorbing the impact meant for the people inside. Gritting with determination, the R-Hulk was driven back a short distance, her feet gouging out the floor as she strove to restrain her own Evangelion.

Knowing this was her chance, the She-Hulk leapt past Rei and grabbed hold of the Eva's forearm, flipping herself so that she was on top. A quick dash put her on Unit Zero's shoulder before it had a chance to pull back and launch a second blow. While R-Hulk once again shielded the people in the pribnow box, the She-Hulk got to the armored plate covering the entry plug.

"One of these days I'm going to have to see about finding out just how strong we are," mused She-Hulk before she got down to business. Digging a handhold in the armor just before Unit Zero began smashing its head into the wall, she then used her free hand to rip the armor away, exposing the plug. "Let's see…there's the plug, now bash it in or try to pull it out…Why is it that the three minutes worth of battery power never seems to actually be three minutes…" Finally, She-Hulk swung in and grabbed the entry plug. Bracing herself, she grunted with effort, carefully pulling the plug out. A few tense moments later and she'd achieved her goal, just as Unit Zero's power was finally exhausted. Satisifed that the danger was over, She-Hulk easily leapt to the floor with the plug in hand. Setting it down, she was aware of the R-Hulk landing on the floor near here, just as she tore the door off the plug.

"Is he alright?" R-hulk asked worriedly as She-Hulk investigated.

She-Hulk smiled as she looked at her fellow gamma mutant. "Looks like he's just knocked out," she answered, causing R-hulk to sigh in relief.

"I thought she was finally over it…" R-hulk mused, looking at the deactivated Eva.

"Huh?"

"Unit Zero. The Evas are not just machines, we both know that," R-Hulk explained. "Mine…hates me. That is why I had so much difficulty synching with it. However, I did not think she'd try that again though, especially not with Shinji…"

Sighing with weary disgust, She-Hulk then growled, "I'm getting damn sick of all these surprises." She then glared up in the direction of Ritsuko and the techs, who were all trying to figure out what the hell to do next. "If Rits keeps playing these games, then she's going to need a gamma-powered body, too. Just to keep her safe from me!"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A week passed after the latest fiasco with Unit Zero. A week Ryoji Kaji spent following his latest lead in unraveling the past, which turned out to be the hundred and seventh dud out of a hundred and eight.

"Another dummy company…" Kaji remarked, looking around the empty warehouse his search had lead to.

"I'd think you'd be used to this by now," came a voice from the darkened gloom of the empty building. A voice he'd come to recognize.

"Hello, Kara," Kaji answered, maintaining his cool exterior. "Or are you together this time?"

"No, it's just me," Kara replied, stepping up to him. "Really, if you want to know the truth about Second Impact…there are easier ways."

Kaji shrugged helplessly at this. "Sorry, but I'd rather see things with my own eyes."

"And it's going to be a race to see which of the offended decides to pluck first," Kara sniped, to which Kaji just gave her a sour look. "Always so serious, you really should lighten up."

"I will…when there's less chance of getting stabbed."

"Fair enough. Just thought you'd like to know, we've contacted Misato."

"A recruiting drive, huh?" Kaji intuited, already hating the new topic of conversation.

"Yes, though I've got the feeling she'll be as stupid as you. Really, what is it with you people? First humanity is foolish enough to let a bunch of old farts that think turning everyone into goo is a good thing rule them and now when an alternative is presented…" Kara just shook her head at this. "Well, whatever, it's none of my concern. Just remember; the winds of change are blowing and when this little pissing contest is over, a lot of things are getting knocked over. The only thing you really get to decide is how far the drop's going to be..."

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, back at Tokyo-3, Asuka was in the midst of executing painfully inept plan to snag some alone time with Kaji number 3495. When he refused to answer his phone, thus denying her the opportunity to claim that she had been sexually assaulted and have him come to her rescue, she reacted in the usual manner.

When Hikari heard her friend's violent bitching, she walked up to her and asked, "What was that about?"

Frowning bitterly, Asuka snorted, "Oh, I was trying to get in touch with Kaji. Just hoping to get him to take me out tonight, but…he's been so busy lately."

"So does that mean you'll be free tomorrow?" Hikari asked.

"Looks that way, unfortunately," Asuka sniffed, folding her arms across her chest.

"Great!" Hikari piped up, taking Asuka by surprise. "Would you do me a favor then?"

--------------------------------------------------------------------

While Hikari was setting Asuka up on a blind date, Rei was staring bitterly at Gendo, doing everything she could to keep her growing hatred from making itself visible. She was down in the depths of NERV, being poked and prodded while floating in a tube of LCL, something that was quickly wearing thin with her. Fortunately it didn't last all that long as she had a synch test to see to.

"Hmmm…" Ritsuko muttered, going over the latest reading in the control room with Misato and Maya looking on. "Shinji seems a little subdued. More than usual, I mean."

"Well, remember what tomorrow is," Misato noted, sighing slightly.

"Oh, that's right," Ritsuko responded. "And speaking of tomorrow…"

"I didn't forget," Misato answered in a bored tone. "Yeesh, what's with all the wedding's lately? It's like everyone's in a hurry to get married before they turn thirty!"

"You think you've got enough control to not have to worry about…" Ritsuko asked warily, the image of the She-Hulk putting in an appearance in all of her bare-assed glory appearing in her mind.

"Yes, that's been going pretty well actually," Misato answered with no small amount of pride in her voice.

"Good. I'm not going to ask what you and Rei have been doing, but it seems to be working wonders. Not only are you both in control, but Rei's synch ratio has actually gone up a bit too," Ritsuko noted with a wane smile. "Okay, we're done. You three can leave now."

"About time!" shouted Asuka. "These experiments are really getting on my nerves!"

"We know, we know," chorused Misato and Ritsuko.

The day continued pretty much according to routine, with Misato finally arriving back home after a long day at work to find Asuka laying sprawled on the floor, watching TV with Pen Pen.

"Hey, shouldn't you be in bed? I thought you have a date tomorrow, right?" asked Misato.

"It's just some med student," grunted Asuka dismissively. "Oh, can I borrow your lavender perfume?"

"Uhhh…no," Misato answered as she shed her regular clothes in favor of a tank top and shorts.

"Meanie."

"That stuff's not for kids," Misato answered in her best 'mother' tone. "Where's Shinji and Rei?"

"Shinji went right to his room when we got home, and I've got no idea what Wondergirl is doing," Asuka answered. "Last I saw, she was standing outside Shinji's room."

Misato raised an eyebrow at this. "Those two are just getting weirder all the time," she muttered before making her way to Shinji's door, where Rei was indeed standing.

"Rei?" Misato started, her confusion showing plainly.

"I wish to speak with Shinji," Rei answered simply.

"About tomorrow?" Misato guessed.

"Yes. I would like to accompany him to visit our mother's grave."

"Not sure how to ask him?"

"Or if the commander will approve," Rei added. "He has plans for me that day."

"Oh? More about the Dummy Plug thing?"

"Yes."

"Well, here let's both talk to him," Misato decided. Before Rei could protest, the purple-haired woman knocked lightly on the door. "Shinji, Rei and I want to talk to you." When there was no answer, Misato decided to take the initiative. "Okay we're coming in."

"What?" Rei spoke up, her eyes widening slightly with her surprise.

"This is how we usually talk; he pretends to be asleep and I say what's on my mind," she answered sadly. "It's not the best situation but…" Rei simply nodded as Misato opened the door, naturally finding Shinji curled up pretending to be out cold. "Go ahead, Rei."

"Shinji," Rei spoke hesitantly. "I would like to go with you tomorrow."

"What?" Shinji started, shock evident in his voice.

"Yes," Rei stated simply. Shinji rolled over to face his housemates.

"Well…Okay I don't mind but why?" Shinji wondered, looking at the albino in confusion.

Rei was obviously unsure of how to answer that. "Personal reasons," Misato stepped in, knowing how delicate Rei's situation was.

"Yes…I will explain in more detail some other time," Rei added, sounding very unsure of herself.

"Oh…" Shinji murmured, deciding not to ask anymore questions. "Alright…I don't have any problem with that."

"Listen Shinji," Misato spoke, knowing the pain of losing family better than perhaps anyone, "I know it's going to be hard for you, but remember, you mustn't run away." Shinji let out a sigh as Misato and Rei left the room.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning saw the human residents of the Katsuragi home going their separate ways, for what would turn out to be slightly more eventful day then at least two of them expected.

"I don't…believe this…" Shinji gasped in horror. He, Rei, and Gendo were at the tombstone of Yui Ikari. The three of them were staring at it in shock, numbed by how it had been desecrated. The words "A stupid whore" were spray painted on it in English, and it looked like someone had used it for their toilet. Multiple times, and for multiple forms of business. Finally, there was one last message; "Nagaii was here", this time written in kanji.

While Shinji was closer to true rage than he had ever been before, Rei just looked confused, and Gendo was having an extremely hard time keeping his usual mask in place. Despite the fact that the grave was empty, the sight of it in this sorry state, combined with the rather humiliating hacking incident, was enough to test even his carefully schooled façade of emotionless detachment.

Before any of them could say anything further, a gunshot rung out, startling the three. "Not to worry," an unseen female's voice. "We don't have any intention of killing any of you now, just wanted to see ya jump."

"Where are you?" shouted Gendo as he turned about, his gun already drawn.

"Right here," came the answer as three women appeared at of nowhere. The first was a frumpy-looking woman with glasses and black hair, a rather beautiful blue-haired woman in a pinstripe business suit and carrying a shotgun. The third…was basically dressed head to toe in tight metal studded black leather complete with a mask and a trench coat.

"Hi!" said the glasses-wearing woman. "I'm Kyoko!"

"Nancy," said the blue-haired woman simply.

"And I'm the bitch that fucked with the MAGI, Nagaii," the third grinned hatefully. "Like my little decorating job?"

"There's no need for the gun, Ikari, and just in case you didn't get it, the gunshot was us taking out the Section Two geeks you had watching your back," Nancy explained. "And Rei? Don't bother changing; Nagaii here could slit all three of your throats three times before you could finish the thought." Nagaii just grinned and suddenly Shinji found himself painfully struck in the groin though none of the three seemed to have moved.

"Super speed is a wonderful thing," Nagaii said by way of explanation. "Anyhow, we've actually got business with one of your little drones, we just thought we'd stop by and see how you liked my little surprise. Bye!"

The last words were barely spoken before several smoke bombs went off. By the time the two Ikari's and Rei could see again there was no sign of their three visitors.

"What the…?" asked a pained Shinji.

"It seems the Order likes keeping people off balance," Rei noted.

"Yes…" Gendo agreed, regaining his composure as much as possible. "Come along, Rei."

"I would prefer to stay with Shinji," Rei countered softly, getting a surprised look from both Ikari men.

"What?"

"Nothing," she quickly answered, shooting an apologetic look to Shinji. _Why…_she thought sadly, _is telling him the truth so difficult for me?_

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that evening, with Misato and Ritsuko still at the wedding, Shinji had made his way home. Desperate for a sense of peace, he decided that was now was as good a time to practice his cello for a bit.

He was about halfway through when he was interrupted by the sound of applause. Turning about, Shinji was surprised to see that the source was Asuka. "That was very good, Shinji," the German smiled. She was standing in the doorway, dressed much more modestly than usual. "I didn't know you played."

"Well, it's just something I do as a hobby, I don't really take lessons or anything," Shinji admitted.

"Any reason?"

"I dunno, just no one's told me not to."

"Should have known," grunted Asuka.

"I wasn't expecting you back so soon," Shinji spoke, trying to change the subject.

"Oh, my date was even more boring then you," Asuka sniped. "I snuck away while we were in line for the movies. I guess there's just no real men around here but Kaji." Shinji sighed at this, knowing a long night when he saw one.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

When Ritsuko finally arrived back home that evening, she was well past tired. The wedding had been long, and tiresome. Especially with having to watch Misato and Kaji play-fighting half the time, always worried the unshaven man would set her off, which would have made the reception anything but boring.

When she got to the door of her home, she frowned in surprise. Her front door was unlocked, despite the fact that she knew she had locked up earlier. Her surprise was increased when she opened the door, and her eyes bulged out of her sockets, for a pair of women she had never seen before were doing the dirty on her couch!

"Oh, hi," one of the women grinned, an athletic-looking woman with blue hair. "We got tired of waiting."

"Did I say you could stop?" growled the other, a black haired woman with glasses. "Put that tongue to good use!"

"What the hell?!" was all Ritsuko could say in response.

"Did she stutter? Name's Kyoko by the way," explained the black-haired woman in between moans. "We got tired of waiting for you to come home so…hey, watch it with the teeth there, Nancy!"

"Sorry," said the blue-haired one as she looked up. "I slipped."

"Either way, we'll be with you in a minute," Kyoko continued. "In the mean time, don't worry; we brought someone to play with you."

"What?" Ritsuko got out, still trying to shove her eyes back into their sockets.

"Look up," Kyoko grinned. Ritusko did so and found herself looking right into the jet black eyes of Nagaii, who was clinging to the ceiling.

"Hi ya," Nagaii grinned before dropping from the ceiling and painfully slamming Ritusko against a wall. "Where are your manners?" she growled as she once again fell upon the faux-blonde. "I mean there's not even any decent liquor in this shit hole!"

Ritsuko was too focused on the knife at her throat to say much in response. "What's the matter?" asked Nagaii, roughly pulling Ritusko away from the wall and suddenly slipping behind her. "Too distracted by the scenery?" she asked, forcing Ritsuko in the direction of Nancy and Kyoko, who were being very vocal about their mutual ministrations. "She's really into it. Oh, and don't pretend to be shocked. You're fucking Gendo! You've seen worse sights than this."

"What are you…?"

"Oh, don't give me that shit," Nagaii growled before shoving Ritsuko to the floor. She then dropped on top of her, pressing the knife against her cheek. "You're just like your mother; a stupid whore who can't tell when she's getting played like a violin at the sucker's convention."

"She does have a point you know," Nancy commented, briefly looking up from what she was doing. "Or are you just ignoring it?"

"She must be," Kyoko decided. "She can't be stupid enough to think he actually gives a shit about her." Ritusko immediately began to sputter out a protest which just got a demented laugh from Nagaii.

"You see? I told you, just like her mother," Nagaii cackled as she got to her feet.

"And what do you know about it?" Ritsuko demanded as she stood as well.

"As it happens, I know a hell of a lot," Nagaii grinned. "Tell me; haven't you wondered how I managed to get into the MAGI so easily?"

"You were lucky," Ritsuko guessed, to which the other three women laughed.

"No," Nagaii countered laughingly. "I was able to do it because…well, here! Let me show you!" With that, Nagaii pulled off her mask…and practically sent Ritsuko back to the floor from pure shock.

As Ritsuko stared at the woman before her, she kept telling herself that it was impossible. She was aware of many thing about Nagaii's true face; the fangs, the jet black eyes, the hair, the demented grin and the gruesome scars around her mouth that gave her a literal ear to ear smile. However, what truly shocked Ritsuko was how easy it was to see past these things…and see the face of perhaps the single most confusing person Ritsuko had ever known.

"Surprised?" Nagaii asked, grinning even more broadly.

"This isn't possible…" Ritsuko protested. "Y-you can't be…"

"Your mother?" Nagaii cut in. "Well, for once, you're right. I'm not. However, Ikari isn't the only one that knows how to make live girls from dead ones. It wasn't too difficult to steal what was left of her."

"However, Nagaii here is rather different from Rei, and not just because she has an actual personality," Kyoko explained, never once losing track of her own 'business'.

"What?" Ritsuko asked, completely overwhelmed.

"What she knew, I know," Nagaii stated, pointing at her head. "And I can tell you he's not really all that good."

"Why are you three even here?" Ritsuko demanded.

"Simple. Our master wants to meet you," Kyoko told her. "To discuss your future."

"I was personally all for knocking you out and dragging you back," Nagaii noted. "You've obviously deluded yourself into believing Ikari cares about you, just like mommy did. And you'll probably end up in the same pit she dug for herself."

"You're…" Ritsuko started, only to have her mouth die on her.

"Denial is a horrible thing," Kyoko decided, just before letting out a shriek as Nancy's ministrations reached their logical climax. "You know damn well we're telling the truth."

"Well, we're wasting our time. Just wait till bastard boy throws her to the wolves, then pick up the pieces," Nancy decided. "And before you get any ideas about trying to call the hired geeks…" Ritsuko again found herself slammed against the wall by Nagaii without having even seen her move. Nagaii proceeded to lift her hand in the classic eye poke gesture, a pair of long blades extending from them. The blades stopped roughly an inch from Ritsuko's eyes.

"We're not going to give you the chance…" Nagaii said pleasantly. Suddenly she pushed Ritsuko's head to the side, exposing her neck. Opening her mouth wide, she plunged her fangs into the surprised woman's throat. While Ritsuko struggled in vain, Nagaii drained away her blood, just enough to cause her to pass out. Allowing her to fall to the floor, Nagaii looked to her cohorts. "Okay she's out. Do you thing, Nancy."

"Right," Nancy replied, she and Kyoko having dressed while Nagaii feasted upon Naoko's daughter. Kneeling down, Nancy placed her hands on Ritsuko's head, her eyes taking on a glassy sheen. A moment later she rose.

"There, she won't remember anything about this until she's ready to join us," Nancy reported. "As far as she's concerned, she hit the booze too hard and passed out when she got home."

"I still say we should just drag her back," Nagaii sniffed. "Or just kill her; her blood's really tasty."

"The Emperor took a personal interest in her, and you wanna tell him she's dead cause you've got no self control? As for dragging her back, it'd be too much of a pain to brainwash her," Kyoko informed them. "Either way, we should make ourselves scarce. We don't want to miss the big event, now do we?"

"Oh, that's right that's tonight isn't it?" Nagaii grinned. "Did he ever decide how?"

"I think we're just going to throw it in the grinder," Nancy responded.

"Oh, that'll be fun. Angel puree," Nagaii smirked, looking forward to witnessing the fate of the First Angel. "Anyhow, whose turn is it to call for the pick up?"

"Mine," Kyoko answered pulling out a cell phone. "It's a bust, get us out of here." She grunted into the phone.

"Right," came Kappa's voice. "Next time, don't forget your gear."

"Blame that one on Nancy and her smoke bomb idea, damned show boater."

"Right, well, whatever," Kappa retorted, somehow managing to roll her eyes through the phone. "You'll be back in a minute, and I hope you haven't had much to eat. The Emperor decided we're gonna have a booze up."

"Great!" said Kyoko. "We haven't had a really good booze up since Second Impact."

"No, it was last month. We all just felt like we'd been through Second Impact when the hangovers hit," Nancy corrected in anticipation. "This is going to be one hell of a night…" After that the floor under then began to darken. "Ahh, looks like Kappa's locked in on us." A moment later they sunk into the shadows beneath them, vanishing completely.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While Kaji and Misato hadn't run into any trouble after the wedding, the two of them had been far from bored. Having gone on a little barhopping adventure, Misato was so thoroughly plastered that she couldn't stand up straight, and now had Kaji carrying her on his back.

Shaking his head, Kaji thought back to a few minutes ago, when the consequences of drinking too much had forced Misato to seek out an alley where she could execute a technicolor yawn. "Drinking till you throw up…just how old are you?" he said chidingly.

"Old enough to regret it," Misato groaned in response.

"That makes two of us," Kaji grinned.

"You need to shave your sloppy face," Misato slurred out. The two continued on their way like that briefly until Misato felt steady enough to walk on her own. Then, her lips loosened by the head full of booze she had, Misato looked at Kaji, and decided it was time to air some dirty laundry.

"Kaji, there's a few things I want to say here," Misato started, to which Kaji simply nodded. "You remember when I told you there was someone else? That was a lie, but you knew that already didn't you?" Not waiting for a response, she pressed on. "I spent much of my life hating my father, then one day I looked around and realized I'd fallen in love with a man just like him, or at least enough that it terrified me." She chuckled lightly, "So I ran. I thought joining NERV would be a way to burn my bridges. Then it turned out that my father had been with NERV, so I thought I'd try to bury it all by swearing to avenge myself against the Angels."

"That seems as good a way as any," Kaji answered, only to have Misato shake her head despondently.

"Don't bullshit me," she grunted. "I was just running like a scared little girl, damn I think I'm worse than Shinji…Look at this…I'm the She-Hulk, I could destroy this whole city if I wanted to…but I'm still to scared to even try to talk about this kind of thing until I'm so drunk I don't even know what I'm saying! God, why did I end up guardian for the children?! I can't even take care of myself!"

"Stop it!" Kaji got out, distinctly worried about the green tint her eyes were slowly taking on. Misato continued to rant despite this. So finally, he grabbed her and proceeded to go for a lip lock, which surprised her enough to stop that particular disaster.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey Shinji, ya wanna kiss me?" Asuka suddenly piped up.

"What?" Shinji replied, staring at the redhead like she had come from a different planet. The two of them had basically been lazing about the apartment, doing a whole lot of nothing, when the German had said words that Shinji could never have imagined her saying to him.

"Kissing," she spoke more slowly, like he was a grade school student. "Have you ever done it?"

Shinji slowly shook his head to this. "Well, no…"

"Then let's do it."

"Why?"

"I've got nothing else to do," Asuka shrugged, like it was no big deal.

"That's your reason?" Shinji got out. "You're weird."

"Are you afraid to kiss a girl on the anniversary of your mother's death? Is she watching you from heaven?" Asuka asked in that most irritating voice of hers.

Shinji instantly bristled. It was as if Asuka had practiced to make that particular voice even more annoying than nails on a chalkboard. "I'm not scared! Pucker up!"

"You brushed your teeth didn't you?" Asuka asked in a more normal voice, to which Shinji nodded "Then here I come." She rose and quickly closed the distance between them hesitating slightly to complain a bit before finally pinching his nose shut after which their lips met.

The two stayed like that for a while, with Shinji nearly suffocating. The kiss was then broken when Asuka dashed off to the bathroom and immediately began gargling. "I'll never kiss to kill time again!" she vowed. _Actually…that wasn't really so bad,_ came a voice from a small, rarely visited section of her mind but the rest of her thoughts quickly beat that one bloody with large clubs.

As Asuka was struggling with teenage hormones, Kaji and Misato staggered into the apartment.

"Oh, hey Kaji," Shinji greeted, noting the drunken woman with concern.

"Kaji!" shouted Asuka as she shot towards him, only to slow down when she saw him and Shinji putting Misato to bed.

"Time to head home," Kaji declared, making a show out of stretching. "It's been a long night."

"You could spend the night here…" Asuka invited, leaving 'in my room' unstated, but far from unheard.

"Sorry, but I can't. I'd never live it down if I came to work like this," Kaji replied, gesturing to himself in a self-depreciating manner, even as Asuka once again attached herself to his arm.

"Oh, come on…" she pleaded, just before her eyes widened. A familiar scent had wafted up her nose. "Lavender perfume…" she said softly as Shinji saw Kaji out.

"Take care of Misato will you? She's had a lot to drink," Kaji asked of the children before he excused himself. _And I think it might be best if I forgot most of what she said tonight, _he said to himself, mulling over the fact that she'd admitted to being She-Hulk. _I guess I was wrong about green not being her color,_ he thought to himself, chuckling lightly as he strolled off, leaving Shinji wondering what was so funny.

"Huh?" Shinji wondered before he noticed the unmoving Asuka. "Is something wrong?"

"Only that you kissed me, you jerk!" she shouted before running off to her room, leaving Shinji even more confused about the opposite gender.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day at NERV, in the depths of Terminal Dogma, Ryoji Kaji was about to enter the most secure room in that most forbidden of places. Just when he felt a gun at the back of his head.

"Feeling better?" he asked his sudden companion

"Much," Misato answered.

"You here on orders?" Kaji asked, though he felt he didn't really need to.

"No, I'm here on my own initiative," Misato responded, her voice tense and firm. "But if you keep doing this…"

"I know, but not for a while, Ikari still finds me useful," Kaji responded easily. "But you should know…"

"Wait!" came a voice neither of them was expecting. Turning to the source of the voice, they saw Rei moving towards them.

"Rei?" Misato and Kaji chorused, and it was apparently a contest to see who was the more surprised.

"When did you get here?" Kaji asked, not liking this development.

"I followed Katsuragi…" Rei answered easily. "If you are going to show her what's kept in there…I should be with her."

"Why?" Misato asked, raising a purple eyebrow.

"It involves what I told you about before," Rei told her. She then turned to Kaji. "Go ahead."

Kaji, though thoroughly confused at this point, frowned before deciding to wing it. Sliding a keycard through the reader, he opened the door, revealing …

"I don't believe this…" Misato gasped, looking at the legless giant that hung crucified in the center of a huge LCL pool, an immense lance driven into its chest. "Is that…?"

"My mother," Rei answered. "One of them at least. The Second Angel, Lilith."

As Rei spoke, Misato just kept staring at Lilith. Having Rei inform her that she was made from an Angel was one thing; seeing the Angel (and on the second glance she could see several sets of human sized legs protruding form the thing) in question was another.

"This is…" she started, searching for fitting words.

"Really fucked up?" Kaji suggested.

"That's the word," Misato agreed before looking at Rei.

"Does seeing this…?" the albino started, something that looked like fear in her eyes as she spoke.

"I'm not going to kick you out if that's what you mean. It's not like I didn't already know you were part Angel." Misato then leaned in and whispered, "She-Hulk and R-Hulk should stick together anyhow. Besides, who'd help me annoy Asuka?"

Rei smiled faintly and gave Misato a hug. "Thank you. I have grown used to not being alone; I would prefer to stay that way."

"Either way," Kaji started, not like being left out of the loop, "We should get out of here." Misato and Rei both nodded and the three left. Rei now felt better than she had recently, while Misato and Kaji had a lot to mull over.


	6. Chapter 6

**Brain Dead 12 ½ studios presents:**

**EvaHulk**

**Chapter 6:**

**Rei's Shades of Gray **

"So, Rei," Misato began somewhat pointedly as the two sat down on the sofa. "Is there anything else you need to tell me?"

Looking at the albino, Misato couldn't help but still be shaken by what she had seen. The two of them had only just returned to the apartment, after Rei's revelation of the Second Angel. Shinji and Asuka were both currently off at school, which was one of the reason's Misato had decided to have this little sit down with her fellow gamma mutant.

While Misato had long since figured out that nasty secrets were just business as usual at NERV, that didn't mean she had to like it. And the sooner those secrets were unveiled, the better the Major would feel.

"Yes," Rei finally admitted. "But if you wouldn't mind, I…would like to wait for a while. It would be simpler to show you and Shinji both at the same time. And…I suppose Asuka should know as well, seeing as she does live here with us. In any case, what I have to show you next is…unpleasant."

"Alright," Misato agreed. Then the purple-haired woman squirmed about for a moment. "But…it's not going to be…anything like Lilith, is it?"

"That…depends on your opinion," Rei admitted. The blue-haired girl was not eager to tell her about the tank full of spare Reis, and not to mention the secret that came after that.

Frowning slightly, and eager to get away the hideous secrets that marked her life, Rei changed the subject. "So when do you plan to visit Ranma?"

Misato considered the question for a moment. "Well, we've got a free day later in the week. And even if another Angel shows up, it's probably close enough for us to get back in a couple jumps if we change," the Major thought out loud, Rei nodding as she spoke. "Course you don't have to come if you don't want to."

"No, I am interested in meeting him," Rei admitted, a hint of genuine curiosity tingeing her words "Besides, considering how helpful his techniques have been, I feel I should thank him."

"Yeah, I'm kind of amazed how well those have worked so far," Misato agreed, only to frown slightly. "Then again…he _did_ say that they worked for someone else with our… condition."

"Yes, you mentioned that before," Rei seconded.

"Y'know, I would kind of like to know what the story with that is," Misato admitted, the wheels of her mind turning. "After he told me about it, I did some digging, to see if I could find out anything else. I didn't find out anything about giant mutants, green _or _grey_._ Still…if even half of the stuff I did find is true, I could almost believe something like that going unnoticed."

"What do you mean?" Rei wondered with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I checked the records about him. There's almost nothing about him in the post-Impact records," Misato explained, a touch of guilt to her admission. "But when I looked around the pre-Impact stuff, I found so much craziness that I could barely believe what I was reading."

"There are a few other things I was wondering about." Rei admitted. "I do not know why but…recently, I have felt the desire to become stronger. As myself, I mean, not R-Hulk."

"Oh?" Misato replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes," Rei spoke, her eyes narrowed with thought. "I do not know why, though I have been wondering; if I was stronger in this form, how would it affect my other?"

"Hmmm….well there's still a lot about our powers we don't understand," Misato admitted, considering the possibilities. "It might be worth looking into, although…frankly, considering what we know we can do now…"

"I know," Rei agreed. "That is why I am confused about this sudden urge."

Misato considered the albino's quandary for a moment. "Well, it could just be so turning back doesn't feel like such a letdown. I have to admit, there have been plenty of times when I just didn't want to change back at all," the Major confessed, thinking of how, sometimes, she would just unleash the transformation, just so that she could look at herself in the mirror. Marvel at the immense power that now surged through her body. "Or, it could be you're…getting greedy."

"What?" Rei got out, tilting her in confusion.

"Well, you have told me your emotions are all over the place," Misato pointed out.

Nodding slightly, Rei looked away, and stared into nothingness. "Yes. Concentrating on the Angels is becoming difficult. Particularly with Asuka." This caused a frown to appear on Misato's face, the Major giving Rei a look. "She is annoying yes, but then I hear her at night, when she cries for her mother. It is difficult to not feel some sympathy for her. I…may not understand emotions well, but I know sadness when I hear it."

"Yeah," Misato sighed, having heard those things in the past. Then she smiled impishly. "And then she wakes up."

"Yes, and I go back to reminding myself I cannot simply crush her," Rei frowned, the two of them sighing as one.

"Between the Angels, the Order, Asuka, Shinji and all these damned conspiracies, I'll be amazed if we both don't go crazy soon," Misato grumbled, to which Rei merely nodded.

------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, far from Tokyo-3, in a room as black and terrible as the souls of those who routinely used it, another meeting of the Order was starting. Though was always considerable unrest amongst the various members, this meeting began with unusual intensity.

"Well, things seem to be going well enough," Blood Eagle grumbled. "Though I do wish Shrivanzella would hurry up with her damned side project."

"Yes," Nagaii chimed in. "What the hell is she waiting for?! Her damned sister's going to drop dead on her own at this rate!"

"Who knows how she thinks?" Kappa shrugged. "Besides, what difference does it make to the rest of us?"

"Considering she's wasting so damned much time, I'd say it's a big difference!" Blood Eagle countered. "And don't forget she dragged Trentor into it, too."

"It's not like rock head is worth anything outside a fight," Fenir pointed out. "While I agree her ass-dragging is annoying, she really isn't endangering our more important goals."

"That's all well and good," came a new female voice. "But if she ends up getting the Hulks involved…especially if Saotome finally puts two and two together and starts training them actively…"

"Empress Nix!" chorused the others, turning about to face the one who had commanded almost as much respect as their emperor.

"Yes," came Nescaro's voice. "She finally bothered coming home last night."

"Oh come on, honey…" said Nix in a rather pouty voice. "I wasn't gone that long. Besides…you really liked that new..."

"Don't bring that up!" Nescaro protested instantly.

"Well, that explains why you delayed the meeting till now," Nagaii snickered. "In other news, it looks like the next Angel is going to be that marble of doom. That'll be entertaining."

"Except you just know those boobs at NERV will try bombing the damned thing," Kappa grumbled irritably. "Should I just head to Tokyo Three after the meeting and beat the rush?"

"Good thinking," Nescaro agreed. "By the way, Fenir, how are things going in Nevada?"

"They're going to do the test in about a week. I'm already on my way out of the state."

"Predictable," Nescaro decided mockingly. "The Eva series?"

"Things are going about as we predicted on that note, too. There shouldn't be any trouble taking that over," Blood Eagle reported. "On another note, there's still no sign of…"

"Irrelevant," Nescaro cut him off. "Those two aren't all that important in the current grand scheme of things."

"Says you," Nix grumbled.

"Now, don't you start! You're the one that let them run off!" Nescaro snarled, shaking his head wearily. "Damnable teenage hormones…if I'd known being a father would be this much of a pain…" Grumbling angrily, Nescaro finally cut himself off before addressing the group again. "The meeting is adjourned. None of you need to worry about the Mana issue; I've got the Bloody Maidens working on that."

"Yes, sir!" chorused the others.

"I'll head to Tokyo three immediately," Kappa nodded.

"And I'll be heading there as well to get a fire lit under Shrivanzella's ass," Nix's grinned.

"Of course," Kappa agreed. "Shall we go together, or will you be making your own arrangements?"

"Together," Nix told her. "I'll be there in a moment."

"Of course," Kappa bowed before excusing herself.

------------------------------------------------------

"So," Shinji began, watching as Misato and Rei prepared to leave. "Just who are you visiting?"

When Misato had announced that she and Rei were going to leave, Shinji had been rather curious. The boy didn't know of anyone they both knew well enough to take a day out to spend time with. Besides, Asuka was currently off somewhere with Hikari. The pigtailed girl was trying to soothe her friend's anger over how her recent blind date had turned out, and Shinji couldn't think of anything better to do than to see his other housemates off.

"Someone that's been a big help; the guy we got those scrolls from," Misato explained, Rei just nodding. "I'd ask if you wanted to come, but it would be kind of rude to bring a whole group of people…"

"It's okay," Shinji nodded in understanding. Then, almost impulsively, he asked, "Uh…does he mind if someone else reads those scrolls?"

This took the Major by surprise. "Hmm…probably not, I'd guess," Misato finally answered with a raised eyebrow. "Why? Are you interested?"

"Kinda. I really don't have much to do," Shinji shrugged almost embarrassed at his interest. "I'm not sure if I'll understand them at all, but..."

Misato nodded her comprehension. "Well, I don't mind, but if you want, I'll ask him how he feels about it."

"Okay," Shinji nodded, waving as Misato and Rei made their way to the car, and were soon on their way.

After a short trip, the two gamma mutants arrived at the Saotome dojo, and were greeted by a soggy red-haired woman with a pigtail. Much to the Major's surprise, the redhead smiled brightly at her approach, despite the fact that she looked like a drowned rat.

"Oh, hi Misato," the redhead greeted her and Rei. "You kinda caught me at a bad time…damn sprinklers."

Blinking rapidly, Misato considered the woman. "Ummm…have we met?" she asked, frowning as she examined the woman. Much to her surprise, the redhead did in fact seem familiar, though Misato would be damned if she knew how.

Now it was the redhead's turn to blink, just before she rolled her eyes, bringing her hand to her forehead. "Oh, yeah. I didn't tell you about this, did I?" she said in almost laughing tone. "Look, I'll explain in a minute. Anyway, who's your friend over there?"

"Oh," Misato started, still trying to get her bearings. "This is…" she started when Rei suddenly stepped forward.

"Rei Ayanami, the First Child…and the R-Hulk," Rei explained, catching herself and Misato by surprise. Though Rei would find herself at a loss to explain it, but…something about the redhead inspired trust.

Quirking a smile, the redhead cocked her head at the Rei. "Another one, huh?" the mystery woman commented. "How many of you does NERV have, anyway?"

"Just us two," Misato explained, deciding that she might as well be honest, especially since the woman seemed to know a great deal about their situation. Wondering if she was related to Ranma or something, Misato gave the redhead a wry look. "Unless they're somehow hiding more in the basement, and these days….well, I can't really talk about that. Now…could you explain who you are?"

"Sure, come on in," the redhead said, waving for them to follow her. "I've got someone else visiting now. You two might get along."

"Ranma," came an unfamiliar female voice. "Who is it?"

"It's Misato, and she brought one of the kids, Nabiki," the woman answered. "And remember…"

"I know, I know," Nabiki's voice answered. "I ask now you know that."

The redhead snorted and led the gamma mutants into the common room, which was occupied by a young woman. Misato judged her to be roughly a year or so older than Ranma or herself. She sat in a wheelchair, and had long brown hair that was combed to cover the right half of her face. "Hello there. Nabiki Tendo. Charmed," the brunette drawled, looking over Misato with an appraising eye while the redhead rolled her eyes and walked off.

"What?" Misato started, trying to sort out the situation she had blundered into.

"Well, I think I know why Ranma was talking about you for two days now…" Nabiki smirked in a knowing fashion. "Tell me, have you ever considered modeling? I know a few things about photography. You could probably make quite a bit, and that's not even counting the special interest market…"

"Special interest?" Misato repeated, raising a purple eyebrow.

"Videos of you turning into She-Hulk," Nabiki explained, cash registers going off behind her eyes. "It'd be a gold mine."

"Wait," Misato cut in, not liking where this was going. "Ranma told you I'm She-Hulk?"

Grinning deviously, Nabiki just kept looking at Misato. "Nope. You just did."

As Rei kept silent, unsure what to say during this entire exchange, Misato eyed Nabiki irritably. Mostly since she'd just baited the Major into one of the oldest tricks in the book.

"So…are you Ranma's…?" Misato started, only to find herself unable to think of the best way to phrase her question.

Her eyes clouding over with memories of better times, Nabiki shook her head. "Actually, I was going to be his sister-in-law. But…well, let's just say mistakes were made. Not the kind you're probably thinking of, though." When Nabiki sighed longingly, Rei looked at Misato questioningly.

"We'll talk about it later," Misato decided, to which Nabiki looked at her in a puzzled manner. "Rei's got a few…social problems," the Major added in way of explanation.

"Sounds familiar," Nabiki replied with a bit of humor. "You sure she's not a Saotome?"

"Ha ha," came a familiar male voice. Looking about, Misato saw a damp Ranma enter the room, holding a kettle and a glass of water. "Having fun?"

"Yep," Nabiki grinned.

"So…" Misato started, noting that Ranma was wearing the exact same outfit as the mysterious redhead. "Before Rei and I say what we've got to say…and I really can't believe I'm going to ask this, but…the water's got something to do with that girl from before, right?"

"Heh. Good guess," Ranma answered wearily, just before he proceeded to dump the glass of water on his own head. As the cold water ran down his form, he became shorted, his hair turned from black to red, and his chest puffed out into impressive feminine attributes. "You're pretty quick. I guess NERV didn't hire you just because of your looks, huh?"

While Misato just stood there, watching as Ranma upended the kettle on himself, she shook her head, feeling a headache descend on her. "I don't know what's worse," she admitted as Ranma switched back to his male self. "The fact that I just saw a guy change sexes right before me, just by using some water…or the fact that this doesn't seem all that strange to me. Like it's just something I should expect."

"Constant weirdness does have that effect on a girl," Nabiki admitted.

While Misato and Nabiki looked at each other in silent agreement, Rei rose to her feet and bowed to Ranma. "Thank you, sensei," she spoke, catching Ranma by surprise. "Your techniques have been a great help to both of us."

This definitely took Ranma by surprise. He just looked at the albino for a time, before finally smiling. "Well I haven't really done anything to earn being called that, but thanks," he finally replied.

"Yeah, those scrolls helped us a lot," Misato insisted. "By the way did you want us to keep those to ourselves? One of the other children seems to have gotten interested."

"Oh?" Ranma started with a spark of greater interest.

"Oh, why don't you just admit you want to train all of them?" Nabiki asked with a smirk. When Ranma responded by giving her a flat look, Nabiki just smiled that much more. "Well, you're the one that…"

"Anyway!" Ranma broke in. Not in any hurry to have Nabiki tell Misato, a confirmed gamma mutant, that his reaction to the footage of the Angel battles had basically been, 'What the hell kind of moron is training those people?'

Before Ranma could think of something else to say, a loud crash was heard, the door being kicked in. Ranma, Rei and Misato immediately tensed as a new visitor entered. The newcomer was a woman with long, white hair. She wore a gray and black armored bodysuit and a blank mask over her face. Flame patterns decorated her shoulders, and a red bat perched on a globe was inscribed on her chest plate.

Watching as she approached, the room was plunged into silence. Save for Nabiki, who could only get out two words. "Oh, shit…" the woman gasped out fearfully.

"Hello…little sister," the woman muttered, the last two words coming out like the deepest of curses. The woman's raspy voice indicating severely damaged vocal cords, but even this couldn't disguise her obvious hatred.

At first, the masked woman's focus was exclusively on Nabiki. But then, as if she was just noticing them, the woman turned her masked face towards the others there. "Katsuragi, Ayanami, Saotome…" she muttered. "I'll say this once, stay out of the way. This is family business."

"Kasumi…" Ranma started, the name coming across a gulf of agony as Misato and Rei stood by, watching the drama unfold. "You know damn well I can't do that."

"Kasumi Tendo died a long time ago, Ranma," the woman said, removing her mask as she spoke. Behind it sat a face that had once been beautiful, but was now so thoroughly scarred that it was almost impossible to tell what the woman may once have looked like.

"I'm just paying the murderer back. Still, if you're going to insist on getting in the way…" the woman who had once used the name Kasumi spoke, every word bitter and hateful. Then she looked at the duo from NERV. "As for you two, I brought someone to keep you occupied. I've been wanting to see how he'd measure up, though two on one isn't much of a fair fight."

At these words, the ground began to shake, just before a huge form burst through the floor. The newcomer was huge, at least a foot taller than either of NERV ladies their Hulk forms. His body was thick and heavy, giving the impression it was made out of a huge pile of rocks. He wore gray trousers and boots that looked almost impossibly heavy. Bizarrely enough, what appeared to be a World War One era German helmet adorned his head. His face was basically two huge black eyes and a mouth with two huge fangs protruding from the lower jaw. He was armed with what appeared to be a wrecking ball.

"Hmm, this might be interesting," Misato growled, surveying the opposition. "I've been waiting for a chance to go up against something that can actually take a hit."

Rei nodded to this. But before either of them could change, before another move was made by anyone, another voice rang out. "Hold it!" shouted the voice as a third newcomer strode into the dojo.

The voice's owner was a woman with long blue-green hair wearing what could best be described as casual business attire. She also wore horn-rimmed glasses, and an armband that bore the same logo as the white haired woman's armor. Her face was pretty, if not stunningly so. There was nothing at all unusual about her appearance.

Her presence though that was another matter. There was just something about her, something that screamed 'RUN!'. Ironically, Misato felt more intimidated by this seemingly normal woman than the huge stone beast in front of her. A quick glance around the room told her that she wasn't the only one affected so; the stone giant itself seeming to whimper when the woman's eyes fell on him, Nabiki pushed her wheel chair as far back as she could, Kasumi or whatever the white haired woman called herself looked actively terrified, and even Rei was actually trembling slightly.

Only Ranma seemed defiant, locking eyes with the woman. "Nix," he growled, practically spitting out the word.

The woman Ranma called Nix was clearly not impressed. "Don't flatter yourself Saotome. I killed your bitch; you'd be a light snack," she sneered, waving her hand dismissively. With this simple gesture, an invisible force shot forth, sending Ranma flying into a wall! While the martial artist sank down to the floor, Nix turned her attention to the armored woman. "Shrivanzella!"

"Y-yes your, highness?" sputtered the white-haired woman.

"Would you mind telling me what the fuck you were thinking? Picking a fight with both the Hulks? Have you lost what little mind you had?" As she spoke, Nix focused her eyes on Misato and Rei. Much to their horror, the two of them fell to their knees, a wave of weakness washing over them, their bodies seeming to lock up.

'_W-what's going on?!_' Misato wondered frantically as she tried to recover. Tried to unleash the gamma power sleeping within her, but found it impossible to focus sufficiently. Like someone had wrapped a blanket around her brain. A quick look at Rei's face was all the Major needed to know that the albino was in a similar predicament.

As they both struggled, Nix turned a disgusted look towards Shrivanzella. "Consider this little side project of yours scuttled!" she bellowed.

"But Empress!" Shrivanzella returned, clearly horrified.

"Do you want to argue?" Nix asked, her tone dripping with unspoken threats. While Shrivanzella backed down a notch, she turned her sights on the stone giant. "Trentor!"

"Rgh?" he grunted.

"You're done here. Go find yourself a quarry and get something to eat." Trentor nodded and dived back into the hole he'd emerged from, as if eager to as far away from the woman as possible. Nix then walked to Nabiki. "You've caused us a lot of trouble, you little bitch," Nix murmured in an oddly pleasant tone. She reached out and brushed aside the woman's hair, revealing what appeared to be a hand-shaped burn scar.

"Why did you have to go and survive?" Nix hissed. "The last thing I need is one of the troops distracted!" With this, Nix sent Nabiki flying from her chair with a slap to her face. Misato growled to herself, already feeling her blood boil with hatred at this thing. As the rage continued to grow, Misato began to feel her clothes tighten just the slightest bit, her body tensing…

'_Wait a second!' _Misato started, her sudden rage broken by shock. _'I can't focus on changing, but…I can still get mad? And…?'_

Quickly examining the situation, Misato recalled how her transformations were originally caused by anger. And even Rei had transformed on more than one occasion as a result of anger. _'So it looks like whatever Nix is doing doesn't stop a rage-induced transformation.'_

At first, Misato was tempted to give into her rage, to let it burn bright and turn her into a monster. But then she frowned._ 'But…if Nix knows about Hulks, then she would have to know how the transformation works, so…she must know that I can still transform that way. So why send rockhead away?'_ Misato wondered, not liking this line of thought. _'Either this Nix is crazier then she looks…or she wants me to get mad, lose control and probably end up killing Ranma, Nabiki and everything else in the area trying to get at her.'_

This thought did not make Misato happy. Making it even worse for her was the certainty that, if Nix was insane enough to set up a situation like that, she must have supremely confident that she could defend herself. The fear her subordinates clearly felt of her was proof of that.

'_But I can't just sit around and do nothing!' _Misato shouted at herself. _'There's no way that crazy bitch is gonna leave until she's at least killed Nabiki, or gotten me to do the job for her! Now, think! There has to be a way out of this! Now concentrate! Concen -!'_

It was then Misato hit upon a possible solution. Even to her, it seemed somewhat crazy and extremely risky. But she had to admit that just about all her best ideas fell into that category. So she decided to go with it.

While Misato was working on making her plan happen, Nix was howling incoherently, driving her foot repeatedly into Nabiki's side. Shrivanzella clearly wanted to help kick her sister to death, but she also didn't want to risk drawing Nix's wrath down upon her again.

While the superhuman entities were fully occupied, Ranma was recovering, and at a rate far greater than most normal humans. Over the years, he had been involved in tremendous battles, and had taken worse hits from several enemies, Nix herself included. And like Misato he was quick to formulate a plan.

As much as it hurt what remained of his pride, Ranma knew that there was precious little he could do on his own. The last time he had attempted to go hand-to-hand with Nix, all he had succeeded in doing was breaking his arm on a jaw that was literally iron. But this did not mean that he intended to simply lie around and watch her kill Nabiki, who was about the only family he had left.

And he did have one advantage. He knew Nix and her powers. He knew exactly what she had done to Misato and Rei.

As Ranma geared up, Nix was simply delighting in being a bully, tormenting someone who couldn't possibly defend herself. She had basically forgotten everything and everyone else, simply there was nothing else worth thinking about. She knew that Shrivanzella would never dare move against her, and Rei wasn't even worth thinking about. Just a pathetic doll with a few exotic features, and a poorly made one, at that. So until either Misato or Ranma made a move, she had plenty of time to enjoy herself. Tormenting them, taunting them with their complete powerlessness.

Stomping on Nabiki's hand, delighting in the agonized wails the cripple made, wondering if she should make herself more of target, get them to make their moves. After all, the sooner they gave her the excuse she needed, the sooner she could have some _real_ fun.

Nix didn't have to wait long. Recovering his feet, Ranma leapt into the air, gathering his power. "Shishi Hokodan!!" he cried out, unleashing one of his signature chi attacks. The Lion's Roar Blast slammed directly into Nix's back, burning a hole in her suit. But failing to do any damage to her skin.

Stopping in mid-stomp, Nix slowly turned to look at Ranma, a demented grin decorating her face. "Ouch," she said dully. "You just can't take a hint, can ya?"

As Misato watched, she took every detail of what was happening, and used it. Focused on it. Took the pain and suffering she was helpless to stop, and used it to stoke the fires of her growing rage. But at the same time, she was careful. She couldn't give this monster in human form what she wanted, which was an utterly mindless, out-of-control She-Hulk. So even as she bit her lip, adding pain to the mix, she recited a mantra she'd found among the scrolls mentally, attempting to use the words to keep the fog of rage from completely descending over her mind.

Even as her body groaned with the telltale pain of a rage-induced transformation, Misato made no effort to hold it back, and instead kept chanting, kept fighting the haze of her rage from obscuring her mind.

Fortunately for Misato, Nix was all too eager to help fuel her hatred. "Well, then, if you want to show off your fireworks…" Nix spoke, removing her glasses as she spoke. "How about I show off mine as well?!" At this, black streams of destruction lanced out from her eyes. With preternatural quickness, Ranma dodged the twin bolts, which burned their way through several walls.

This was the last straw for Misato, who growled savagely. This act of destruction was the last thing she needed, as Nix became as much as a monster as the Angels she had hated for so much of her life. The sound of clothes tearing apart filled the room as green spread across the Major's flesh.

"It's about time, Katsuragi!" Nix grinned eagerly, even as the She-Hulk rose to her feet, roaring in hatred. "I was beginning to wonder how much longer I'd have to stretch out this kill before you'd be a good little girl and play ball with me!"

She-Hulk didn't listen to Nix's words. All she was really focused on was the fact that the paralyzing force Nix had used no longer affected her. So, with a furious roar, the green-skinned woman stomped towards her tormentor.

Nix just stood there, grinning. "So, shall we…?" she started, only to be cut off when She-Hulk brought both fists down upon her head, smashing her through the floor.

"Oh, shit!" Shrivanzella shouted, bursting into flames. Now a human-shaped inferno, she rose into the air and flew away as if Godzilla was stomping after her.

Growling, She-Hulk went to Nabiki's side, and with incredible tenderness, checked the woman's injuries. Still, she was concerned. The way Shrivanzella had just taken off, not even bothering to finish Nabiki off, had her worried. Even worse was when a quick check on Rei revealed that she was still paralyzed. Which either meant that Nix's paralysis attack did not need to be maintained by the strange woman…or Nix had just survived a blow that would have reduced most people to a red smear.

This concern was increased when Ranma placed his hand upon She-Hulk's shoulder. "Watch yourself…" he said, a fearful expression ghosting his features. "She's a lot tougher then she looks."

Just as Ranma spoke these words, Nix was heard laughing mockingly. Her voice heavily distorted.

When She-Hulk moved to look down the hole she had just smashed Nix through, the crazy woman just smiled at her with greater madness.

"How about I just put my best face forward?" Nix asked, even as a third glowing spot appeared roughly at forehead level. "After all… you're not the only ones who can transform…!"

When this word escaped Nix's lips, a horrific scream tore free of her mouth. This was followed by a series of noises, like clothes being torn apart…as well as flesh and blood. To those who couldn't see what was happening, it was a horrific experience. For She-Hulk, who could see the entire show, it was even worse.

The first thing that happened was something that looked like huge blisters bulged from every inch of Nix's flesh. The pustules grew, kept growing, until they exploded, spraying blood everywhere. Screaming with laughter, Nix held up her hands before grabbing at her own forearms. With grunts of effort, she dug her fingers into the oozing holes that now marked her forearms…and ripped them off entirely. As tattered flesh and bone fell to the floor, new limbs sprouted in their place. Huge, green-and-black arms appeared, stained with Nix's own blood.

As if this was signal, Nix lost herself to her madness, laughing horrifically as her legs bulged and finally exploded. Huge clawed feet quickly sprouted to replace her human body parts. Driving her own claws into her chest, Nix tore off her coat and breasts alike, sending gobbets of flesh flying as scaly armor bulged up to take their place. Her back then bulged horrendously, causing her to fall to her knees.

'_Well, if she didn't need a plastic surgeon before, she sure does now!' _She-Hulk thought with ill humor.

"Oh, great," Ranma grumbled, his own voice shaken. "I know where this is going."

"You've seen this before?!" She-Hulk demanded.

Ranma nodded grimly to this. "Man…if she doesn't kill me, I just know the repair bills will do it for her!"

This was all Ranma was able to say before the thing that Nix had become burst out of the floor…

------------------------------------------------------

Rei was afraid.

Ever since Gendo and Ritsuko had exposed her to the gamma radiation that had remade her, she had felt many emotions, and fear had been one of them. However, as she struggled with the effects of Nix's attack, she discovered that it had inspired different feeling, one that affected the albino in different ways.

The feeling in question was helplessness. She'd felt it before, when Unit Zero had first run out of control with her at the helm. She had felt it many times since then, and for many different reasons. But this time it was far worse. For when she had first transformed, first experienced that first delicious sensation of power, it had empowered her mind as well. Being the R-Hulk was quite literally the most wonderful thing she had ever experienced, the knowledge that she was virtually invincible, the feeling of raw power flowing through her veins.

And now, all because of the whim of this thing called Nix, that power was now gone. Worse than that; Rei couldn't even move. She was beyond useless. She was a liability to everyone around her.

This knowledge began to smolder within Rei. Giving rise to a feeling of growing anger. Anger at this Nix for forcing her to feel this way, leaving her helpless to do nothing but watch while she brutalized Nabiki, anger at herself for not being able to avoid it, and many other tiny things fueled the growing fire. The anger slowly mounting within the albino as she watched Ranma and She-Hulk face off with what Nix had become.

If Rei had been able to, she would have shuddered in disgust at the result of Nix's transformation. If She-Hulk and R-Hulk were a bit monstrous, Nix gave the impression of something that had crawled out of some kind of bizarre technological hell. The large curving horns sprouting from her temples added to her demonic appearance, as did her wings. The main structures of the bat-like wings were gleaming steel constructs, the actual membranes a weird sickly yellow. Her entire body was covered in green and black armor, which had a bizarre organic look, with various hoses and wires that pulsated rather like veins visible on her legs. Huge blades jutted from her elbows, wicked looking spikes adorned her knuckles, and a tail that resembled a spinal cord thrashed behind her. Her face, which still had a few bits of her previous form's face sticking to it, was almost blank, apparently incapable of showing any expression but screaming rage. She opened her mouth, growling at She-Hulk and Ranma, revealing a mouth full of gleaming and rather metallic looking fangs, a foul smelling black goo dripping unto the floor where it sizzled.

"Ain't I a sight to set the heart crossways in ya?" she said in English, her bizarrely distorted voice having an air of amusement. Pausing to run her claws across her cheeks, she pulled the ragged bits of human flesh from her face before quickly eating them.

"What the hell are you?!" She-Hulk demanded, caught between rage and nausea at the blood-soaked abomination before her.

"Project Eva's bastard offspring. Genocyber," Nix replied, her voice a mix of hatred and arrogance. "Now then…shall we?"

"Watch yourself," Ranma muttered. When Misato looked over her massive shoulder at him, she saw a face filled with sorrow and concern, "If she bites you, you're as good as dead. That's how she killed Akane…the other one."

Distracted by the pain in that surrounded that name, She-Hulk was very nearly caught unawares as Nix suddenly literally vomited a blast of black energy. Both man and beast-woman dodged the blast, but the attack was enough to focus Misato's attention. Roaring her hatred, She-Hulk charged the monster woman, lashing out with a powerful blow that caught Nix right in the cheek.

Her talons, digging into the ground, Nix withstood the force of the blow, and when she leered at She-Hulk, there was a spark of amusement in her inhuman eyes. "Gonna have to work a little harder than that…" the apparently unharmed Nix growled. She then counterattacked with a punch to Misato's stomach that drove the air from her lungs.

Quickly recovering from the blow, She-Hulk eyed her enemy wrathfully. '_I definitely felt that…'_ Misato thought, the pain disappearing before her thought concluded. '_So she's as strong as I am or pretty damn near….looks like this is going to be interesting.' _Quickly dodging Nix's follow-up blow, She-Hulk fell into a stance she'd learned from Ranma's scrolls. Nix snorted disdainfully, assuming a stance rather similar to a boxer.

Taking the initiative, She-Hulk fired off a devastating blow, her fist plowing into her opponent's shoulder. Nix returned with punch that caught the green Amazon on the chin, resulting in a grimace in pain. Misato then whirled about, driving her elbow into Nix's gut, which she followed up with knee to the monster's jaw. Thunder resounding from the blow, the techno-gargoyle snarled hatefully, snapping at the gamma mutant with her horrid fangs. She-Hulk was barely able to pull away from them in time, but in her distraction, she fell victim to another smashing blow, this time to her shoulder.

The first few exchanges done, the two monstrosities fell into battle with earnest. Blow after blow was exchanged, and to her dismay, She-Hulk soon realized that she was slowly but surely finding herself getting the worst of it. While she had a good deal of combat training in the military, she was far from a seasoned combat veteran, and the skills she had been developing from the scrolls were self-taught. Exacerbating matters was the need for Misato to keep her rage from getting the better of her; even with all the mental guards, she still felt the primitive berserker within her struggling to set itself free. Something she knew would be a disaster with the lives of others at risk.

Nix had no such problems. Either she didn't suffer from a berserker state like those of a Hulk, or she didn't care who she killed. Thus the inhuman menace had lost herself in an absolute frenzy. Even worse was that the insane berserker was also very good at playing to her strengths. Nix was clearly experienced with this form; she was hitting hard and taking punches, to the point she wasn't even bothering with defense. She-Hulk had landed several powerful blows, visibly cracking and denting Nix's armor in places. Nix didn't seem to notice, and at least half such spots seemed to repair themselves almost immediately.

As for She-Hulk, her own body was quickly repairing what damage Nix's spiked knuckles caused. But Nix was well aware that while the healing powers the Hulk effect gave were impressive they weren't completely infallible.

While the two of them continued to battle, Ranma looked at this conflict that eerily echoed his own pained memories. Loss and hurt spurring him on as he made his way to Rei. While he had just met the blue-haired girl a short time ago, he could tell that she wasn't the most expressive of people. Still, after all his dealings with pissed off women, he knew a volcano that was slowly reaching the boiling point when he saw one, and the couple glances he had taken at her revealed that she was getting close to erupting.

With gamma mutants, completely losing control was never a good thing. And Ranma had no reason to doubt Rei's word about being one. Especially since subtle signs of transformation were appearing. The subtle lengthening of her hair and changes in her skin tone, all which indicated that he would have to work fast.

_Man, I hope this works as well on you as it did on Akane! _Ranma thought upon reaching the girl. Placing a hand on Rei's shoulder, he began projecting a cool, calming aura into her graying flesh. The soul of ice meeting with the girl's ire, just as it had so many years ago, with another girl…

"You're doing exactly what she wants…" Ranma whispered into the albino's ear Rei was startled by this, and by the calming effect of Ranma's technique. "You'll never beat her at her own game."

Her pleading eyes speaking when her mouth was still held captive, Rei pleaded for help. Something Ranma understood. "I'm gonna try something. It should loosen you up enough to change without getting mad. Assuming you can. I can't promise it'll work but it's better than just sitting here." With that he placed his hands on her head.

The glow of Ranma's hand filled the girl's eyes, but this was all it seemed to do. Then Rei sucked in a surprised breath as she felt her body slowly loosen, her mind following suit. Glancing at Ranma, she gave a slight nod, and nodded slightly and then quickly began to try focusing on changing.

Unable to stop a smile from spreading across her face at the familiar tingling feeling, Rei did her best to reign in her usual excitement. Even as her skin darkened, her clothes tightening about her growing body, Rei knew that her best chance lay in taking Nix by surprise.

Fortunately for Rei, Nix was completely occupied with her battle with She-Hulk. Unfortunately, it was a battle Nix was winning. The number of blows Nix got through She-Hulk's defenses was growing rapidly. And while Misato wasn't in any real pain, the various cuts and bruises inflicted on her were healing more slowly now.

'_Damn it…!' _She-Hulk growled inwardly as she barely avoiding a particularly vicious kick. '_I've definitely gotta step up my training! That is, if ugly here doesn't end up killing me!_ Settling into evasive pattern, She-Hulk avoided a series of devastating blows, her ears filled with Nix's grunts and crazed screeches. Completely lost to her berserk madness.

So lost that Nix never saw a mighty grey fist coming towards her before it slammed her in the side of her head. The surprised bio-mech was sent flying, only to crash into the side of a building. When she soon recovered, her baleful eyes took in the form of a very annoyed looking R-Hulk.

"What?" growled Nix as she sprang to her feet. "How the hell can a doll break my…?!"Her confused voice settling into realization, the techno-nightmare glanced at Ranma, who rewarded her with a cocky grin. Nix's response was snarl in disdain. "I see….well, it doesn't matter! I'm not out of tricks just yet!"

Spreading her wings and screeching her outrage, Nix stepped forward even as She-Hulk and R-Hulk tensed for battle. Just as Nix was almost within range of their fists, however, the bio-mech froze in place, wincing slightly.

"What? But honey!" Nix moaned unhappily, sounding for all the world like a whiny little girl who's day off had just been cut short. "I can still…no…" Nix sputtered, only to sag in exasperation, rolling her eyes skyward. "Alright, alright already! You win…" A series of unhappy growls issuing from her throat, Nix glared at Ranma and the Hulks. "It looks like I'm being recalled. But do yourselves a favor and don't get too comfortable. We'll meet again soon enough. Do try to actually be able to give me a good fight by then, Katsuragi."

Coiling up her legs, Nix then launched herself into the sky, her wings easily carrying her off into the horizon. A collective sigh of relief filling the air, Ranma rushed to Nabiki's side. Picking the woman up in his arms, he then helped her back into her chair.

"Are you alright?" asked She-Hulk, the last of her injuries already healed.

"I think so. She was being pretty careful not to actually kill me," Nabiki remarked in the weary voice of someone who had survived far worse. "I'm gonna be sore as hell for a while though." Both the gamma mutants satisfied, Nabiki then turned her gaze elsewhere. "So, tell me, Ranma…was that enough to convince you?"

Sighing at this, Ranma turned and saw the confused looks worn by both She-Hulk and R-Hulk. Reluctantly he finally explained, "Well, y'see…she's been trying to convince me I should take you on as a student since I mentioned I gave you the scrolls."

"Really?" She-Hulk replied. The wheels turning in her mind, the green-skinned mutant quickly considered the matter. "Well…as much help as your scrolls have been, it might be a good idea. Neither of us have ever really fought anything like her before. I'd feel a little better having an actual teacher."

"I feel the same way," R-Hulk added. "And there are some ideas expressed in those scrolls I would very much like to discuss with you if possible."

"Well…" Ranma spoke, mulling over the idea. Pain and hard-earned caution warring with old impulses and urges not yet gone from him. "I haven't tried actually teaching anyone since Akane died…I can't really promise I'd be any good, but…if you're willing to risk that…"

"It seems to me the biggest risk is doing nothing before uglypuss shows up for round two. Dragging along whatever other nightmares the NSO has in store for us," She-Hulk declared enthusiastically. "Besides, I'm with Rei on this. There were a few things in those scrolls that looked worth trying."

When R-Hulk nodded her assent, the last of Ranma's resistance fled. "Well, alright. If you say so," the pigtailed warrior finally said. Then his expression became more serious, the face of a practiced martial artist. "I actually have a few ideas for some special training that might help both of you. You'd have to do it in human form, though."

"Works for me," She-Hulk replied, the four of them venturing into Ranma's ruined home.

After Rei and Misato had changed back and were given suitable clothes, the four of them spent a few hours making plans for the Saotome school to accept its first students in a very long time. Misato noted Ranma seemed much more animated as they worked out their new schedule. Bringing out a side of him that he wore much better than the gloom and pain she had seen before.

-------------------------------------------------

In another part of the city, well away from the destruction, a pair of girls were just arriving in the massive fortress metropolis. Carrying a couple suitcases each, a pair of teenage girls were just stepping off the train. The first was a pretty, if not stunningly so, redhead with very prominent bangs that just barely avoided covering her eyes. The rest of her hair was done in a full but short style, and she bore a very bright, cheerful demeanor. Her companion was a slightly pale girl with long, dark hair and glasses who was constantly and subtly scanning the surrounding area. Unlike the redhead, she seemed rather subdued, perhaps even slightly nervous.

"So," the redhead spoke, scanning the area. "This is Tokyo Three…"

"Yes. Now can we go home?" grumbled her companion.

The redhead whipped about at this, an annoyed look on her face. "Mayumi!"

Sighing wearily, Mayumi frowned at her companion. "I'm sorry, Prin- I mean, Mana! But this just seems like such an incredibly stupid thing to do! If your mother finds out…!"

"Mom's never approved of anything I've ever done," Mana countered, her tone betraying a huge amount of bitterness. "Besides, you didn't have to come along…"

"I wouldn't be much of a bodyguard if I ran off whenever things have the potential to get ugly," Mayumi grinned reluctantly. "Even if I don't agree with you, my place is still by your side."

"Of course," Mana answered, smiling herself. "Sorry about that. You know how I get."

"Yes, of course," Mayumi spoke. Then she gave her companion a big grin. "Anyhow, we should see finding our new place and get settled in. Tomorrow's going to be a big day, after all. And we wouldn't want to make a bad impression particularly on…" Squeaking in embarrassment, Mana quickly covered the other girl's mouth, her cheeks coloring.

"Oh knock it off!" Mana grunted, to which Mayumi grinned even more broadly. Regaining herself, the redhead withdrew her hand. "Meeting him isn't the only reason I decided to come here."

"Alright…but it's not my fault that you're so cute when you're embarrassed," Mayumi smirked. Rolling her eyes, Mana led the way away from the train station. The two girls engaged in idle conversation as they made their way to an apartment building specifically chosen for Mana's plans. The same one in which Misato and the children resided in.

Riding the elevator up to the desired floor, the two girls soon reached the apartment they had arranged for. "Well, now," Mana spoke upon entering. Setting down her suitcases, the redhead surveyed her new dwelling thoughtfully. "All in all, not bad for being in a war zone."

Mayumi nodded as she busied herself with unpacking. "So aside from eventually getting something to eat, is there anything on the agenda once you get tired of spying on Ikari?" When Mana raised an eyebrow at this, the dark-haired girl grinned helplessly. "One of us will end up doing that eventually. Let's face it; it's in our blood."

"Blood?" Mana repeated wryly. "In case you've forgotten, you're made out of slime."

"Same difference," Mayumi grunted. Then she gave her companion a hopeful, almost lecherous smile. "Still…if you'd rather spend tonight….."

"Let's save that for when we're sure about how thick the walls are around here," Mana answered. Upon getting a disappointed look from the other girl, she smiled sympathetically. "Sorry, I'll make it up to you," she murmured, leaning in and giving her companion a quick kiss. "For now, let's just focus on settling in. Okay?"

"Of course, Princess," Mayumi said softly.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that evening at Ranma's ruined home, Misato and Rei were going through a few katas to show Ranma how far they'd managed to come on their own. Both he and Nabiki observed the two of them carefully, the pigtailed warrior getting a better idea what to work on.

"Okay," Ranma said after they'd been at it a while. "I think I see what directions to take this in. It might help if you two keep doing your morning routine. I'd like to come along for that if you'd show me the spot." That said, he then frowned slightly as another idea occurred to him. "Then again, I could meet you at your apartment and we all go together."

"You sure about that?" Misato asked with a raised eyebrow. "Our place is a good distance from here, and we head out at sunrise for our routines."

"Actually, I don't think distance is going to be an issue," Ranma told them, giving a solemn look at the wreckage that had once been his home. "Seeing as the NSO knows where I live, I don't think hanging around here would be such a good idea. You probably haven't really seen it yet, but they're pretty stubborn."

"Actually, I already got that impression," Misato commented. Then she gave him a warm look. "And if you're interested, there's a lot of vacancies in the building we live in. It's a bit smaller than here, but it should work out alright."

"And that gives me another idea," Nabiki added. "I've got enough set aside that I could probably get a suitable place for training. That is, if you don't mind waiting a bit."

"Whoa," Ranma got out, clearly surprised by the offer. "Are you sure about that, Nabiki?"

"Of course I am. You might not believe it, Ranma, but money isn't everything to me," Nabiki answered, a sadness to her words that was old and deep. As Misato scrutinized the two, trying to figure out what was behind their interactions, Nabiki met her gaze and smiled. "By the way Misato, could I talk to you a moment?"

"Huh?" Misato got out. After a moment of looking at Nabiki's face, she finally shrugged. "Oh sure." Noting the confused looks of both Ranma and Rei, Misato turned and followed Nabiki. The two of them went a fair distance; it wasn't until they were out of sight of the others that the brunette stopped. Frowning slightly, Misato eyed the other woman carefully. "So what do you want to talk about?"

"Ranma. Specifically, you and him." Her confusion mounting, Misato gave her a look. With a smile with many sad memories weighing it down, Nabiki looked at her. "He's got a weird ability to charm women without meaning to. And even if he won't say it, it's pretty obvious he's taken a liking to you. I just thought I might give you some advice how his mind works. Just in case."

Snorting lightly, Misato returned, "Well…he does seem like a nice guy. Probably better than my last couple of boyfriends…" the purple-haired woman commented. Then she added thoughtfully, "Of course, you're probably a better man then at least one of them."

"Yeah, I think I know what you mean," Nabiki nodded, a ghost of a laugh escaping her. "Look… Ranma's a great guy. When…the NSO attacked us, he risked his life to save mine. And I wouldn't have blamed him if he'd just left me to those wolves. God knows he had enough reason to." Forcing aside the pain and bitterness she felt, Nabiki got to the heart of the matter. "Now, when it comes to fighting, he's a genius. But he doesn't have a clue when it comes to just…dealing with people. Especially when it comes to romance."

"Then that's something we have in common," Misato noted wryly.

"I kinda got that feeling," Nabiki concurred. With a sigh that spoke all the guilt the woman felt, she raised her hand out to Misato, a hand she gladly took in her own. "Look…Ranma's had it really rough. Especially after what the NSO did. And the way he looked at you…I haven't seen that look on his face in fifteen years, Misato. And maybe it doesn't count for much, not after what I've done, but…I want him to be happy again. To be with someone who can give him what he needs." Adding her other hand to the embrace, Nabiki practically pulled herself out of her chair. "Maybe I'm crazy to be thinking this way, but…I'm hoping he just found her."

-----------------------------------------

While Misato was considering these words, Ranma and Rei were having a discussion of their own. Or something that passed for a conversation, given the albino's difficulty in vocalizing her thoughts.

Noting the silence coming from Rei, Ranma decided to get the ball rolling. "So you said you wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Yes," Rei responded. "However, I am uncertain as to how to say it. I am…not a good speaker."

"That makes two of us," Ranma grinned. Thoughts of all the troubles his mouth had gotten him into coming to the fore. "Just say it as best you can."

"Very well," Rei agreed. She took a deep breath, and began. "There are parts of the anything-goes philosophy that intrigue me, particularly about a practitioner's duty."

"Oh?" Ranma responded, eyeing the girl.

"Yes," Rei nodded. Frowning slightly, the girl seemed to consider her next words. "I…cannot be specific here, but… all my life I have had a purpose, one decided for me by the Commander. I have begun to doubt this purpose. It seems….wrong, somehow."

"Well, if you say so," Ranma shrugged. "Of course, seeing as I don't know what this purpose is, I can't say one way or the other."

"I know. I think, however, that I would prefer to…" Pausing, Rei once again seemed to pick out her words. While Ranma was wondering just how often the girl actually spoke, she finally gathered herself up. "To make your duty my purpose. To become a protector, I mean. Put my strength as the R-Hulk to a better use than the purpose laid out for me."

"I think I see," Ranma nodded thoughtfully, already considering various possibilities. "Well, I think I can help. I'm guessing here, but…I'm betting you want to strengthen your normal body. Is that it?" When Rei's eyes shot wide open, the martial artist grinned in memory. "Same thing happened with Akane after she got control." Anticipating Rei's next question, Ranma continued. "I do have a technique that could help with that. A…friend of mine helped me teach it to her."

"Really?" Rei murmured, sparking with interest.

"That's right," Ranma confirmed. Then he took on a more serious caste. "Still, we're going to have to work on your stamina and toughness before you could take it. No offense, but the training is pretty brutal, and you're going to have to do it in normal form for it to do any good."

Nodding, Rei thought of something she had read in one of the scrolls. "A martial artist's path is filled with suffering."

"Yeah, but trust me when I say there's a difference between suffering for the art and just being stupid," Ranma informed her, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, I've got a few methods I pretty much promised I'd never try to use myself. I mean, they work up to a point but…well, never mind all that right now. We can get into that later."

Anyhow the chats continued for a while, eventually ending with Ranma, Rei and Misato agreeing to meet at the latter two's training area and finalize their plans in the morning.

----------------------------------------------------------

The next day proceeded relatively smoothly, with Misato and Rei meeting Ranma just outside their apartment building as planned. Changing into their Hulk forms, they took him to their training ground. Once there, he put them through their paces, proving that his own fears about his teaching ability weren't well founded. Once their training was done for the day, the three finished up their plans for Ranma's temporary relocation to their building and their afternoon session.

"Well, that should do it for this morning," Ranma finally decided, clearly satisfied with the progress being made. "After you're done with school and work, we can meet back here. Then I can show you some of the things I've got planned, just to see what you think of them."

"Sounds like a plan," Misato agreed. "Oh, by the way, there is one other thing I wanted to ask you."

"Huh? What?" Ranma got out. "Is there a problem with your schedule?"

"Oh, no! It's nothing like that!" Misato assured her new sensei. "It's just…I was wondering if I could bring someone else along. This boy who lives with us."

"Ikari-kun?" Rei spoke, raising an eyebrow at her guardian. "Why?"

"Well, I have a couple reasons, actually," Misato explained. When Ranma frowned his confusion, the purple-haired woman smiled sadly. "For starters, Shinji is the pilot of Unit 0ne. You know, the purple one?"

"That thing?" Ranma gaped, to which Misato couldn't help but nod. Even amongst the civilian population, Unit One had quite a reputation. And it wasn't a very nice one. "The one that tore apart that first Angel and half the city with it?!"

"Well, I wouldn't go quite _that _far," Misato protested. "Still, Shinji's managed to beat two of the Angels all on his own, so I'm a bit worried."

"Worried that the NSO might decide to put a bull's-eye on his back," Ranma nodded grimly. "Good point. It'd be just like them to target the pilots."

"Yeah, and…to be totally honest, I think he might benefit in…other ways," Misato explained. When Ranma frowned his confusion, the Major sighed sadly. "Let's just say that…life hasn't exactly been good to him, either. And being able to take care of himself would probably do a world of good for him. Maybe give his confidence a serious boost."

Frowning somewhat, Ranma considered the matter. Though he wasn't eager to start teaching some of the more dangerous techniques to just anybody, he had to admit that Misato had a point about the risks regarding the NSO. And if this Shinji could be trusted to handle an Eva, that certainly said good things about him.

With a shrug, Ranma finally said, "Well…I guess it couldn't hurt for him to at least check it out."

"Great!" Misato grinned happily.

"Still, I'd like to hear more about this kid, if you don't mind," Ranma told her. When Misato frowned, the martial artist explained, "I'd just like to have a better idea of what kind of person he is before I start, that's all."

Nodding, Misato replied, "Fair enough. I'll tell you him about him on the way back."

"Misato," Rei spoke up. When Misato turned, she a look of mild confusion on Rei's face. "If you wish for Ikari-kun to receive training, then do you wish to involve Pilot Sohryu?"

"Asuka?" Misato asked. Giving a thoughtful curl to her lip, the Major shook her head. "I already thought about that, Rei, but I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Why not?" Ranma wondered. "If she's a pilot, then she's in as much danger from the NSO as Shinji is."

"I know that, but I also know Asuka," Misato explained ruefully. "There's no way we'd be able to convince her to go along with it, and even if we did…"

"Yes?" Ranma prompted.

Sighing, Misato decided to lay it all on the table. "Asuka is a total attention whore. She can't stand it when people aren't looking exclusively at her. It's one of the reasons why she has such problems with Shinji and Rei. She has to be the best at everything, and she can't stand it when someone is thought of being better than her at anything. And if some of the things I saw in the scrolls is any indicator…I'm not sure I could trust her not to abuse something you taught her."

"I see what you mean," Ranma nodded, wrinkling his nose in distaste. "Sounds like a girl I used to know."

"Oh? Old girlfriend?" Misato asked.

Surprising everyone with a mild chuckle, Ranma then shook his head. "Only in her twisted imagination!" he explained almost nostalgically. "Anyway, let's get going. We've got a lot to do today."

"Right," Misato answered. She and Rei then started shucking their clothes, and soon green and grey titans were seen leaping back to Tokyo-3. A pigtailed man riding upon the green woman's shoulders.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

'_This sure has been an interesting day,' _Shinji thought to himself as he sat in the Entry Plug of Unit One later that day.

As always, Shinji's day had started with him making breakfast, a situation that was complicated when Asuka started screaming about the lack of hot water. Rei had quietly observed that the German's screaming would do nothing to help fix it, which led to yet another argument between the girls, with Asuka doing the majority of the arguing.

Then, when the three of them had been leaving for school, Misato had told Shinji that there was something she wanted to discuss with him when they got home later. When Shinji had asked her what it was, she had donned that impish, evasive smile of hers, and refused to say more.

Mulling over this mystery, Shinji had been handed another set of surprises at school. Ever since the Third Angel had invaded Tokyo Three, the city's population had been steadily decreasing, and thus the size of his class. But on that day, two new students showed up. A pair of pretty girls had stood before them and introduced themselves.

"Mana Kirishima," said the first. A bright-eyed redhead who gave the class a warm smile. A smile that swept about the entire room, only to finally fix upon Shinji. While the boy had been recovering from this surprise, Mana added, "Pleased to meet all of you."

Watching as Mana took her seat, the redhead never once taking her eyes off of him, Shinji was broken from his trance when the second girl introduced herself. "Mayumi Yamagishi," the girl spoke. She had long, dark hair and glasses, and she was clearly far more subdued than her fellow newcomer. But to Shinji's amazement, her eyes also seemed to linger on him.

Shinji didn't know how to explain it, how these two girls had looked at him so intensely. And he was at an even greater loss to comprehend the distinct feeling that the new girls' eyes very rarely left his back the whole day.

'_They…they couldn't think I'm…attractive…could they?' _Shinji wondered. A question that his own self-doubts eagerly shot to pieces. Clearly, there had to be some other reason why the girls had been paying him so much attention.

Damned if he couldn't think of that reason, though.

While these thoughts were percolating in Shinji's mind, Misato was using the ear of her best friend. "So," she started casually. "You think it has a chance?"

"It might," Ritusko answered mildly. "I'm kinda surprised though, you wanting to get this Ranma guy hired here."

"Well, he's been a big help to me and Rei already. What with our…conditions. And I think his training might benefit all the children. And we could use someone like him on our security staff. It makes sense to me," Misato explained. "So how's the Third Child doing?"

"Look for yourself," Maya answered, moving aside so Misato could get a look at the monitor.

"Whoa! Look at that! I bet knowing this will help his confidence…" Misato smiled impishly. The Major then turned on the intercom, Shinji's face appearing before her. "Shinji can you hear me?"

His eyes popping open, Shinji smiled in anticipation. "Oh, hey Misato! How are my test scores looking?"

"Great! You're number one!" Misato grinned giving him a thumbs up. The result was a delighted smile from him…and an ear-piercing shriek from a certain German fireball.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Damn it!" shouted Asuka. Standing before her locker in the girl's changing room, the German was busily practicing her ranting and raving.

Though Rei maintained a quiet exterior as she changed, mostly ignoring her volatile housemate's hateful diatribe in favor of thoughts regarding her afternoon training. Still, that didn't mean that a small, sniggering portion of her mind was grinning it's head off at her genetic brother's triumph. And Asuka being knocked down about a couple hundred pegs.

Asuka continued her rant well after the three of them left NERV, making use of every opportunity to snipe at Shinji. Piloting Eva was her whole life, and having Shinji, who didn't even want to be a pilot suddenly outdoing her was a very bitter pill to swallow.

As a result, Asuka spent the rest of the day in her room sulking. Completely ignoring Rei as she changed into her gi for her and Misato's afternoon session with Ranma. During which time, they would also be helping him get his things together to be moved.

As for Misato, she had also changed into her own training outfit. Upon emerging from her room, she saw Shinji mulling about in the living room and headed towards him. The boy looked up at her approach and smiled. "So…" the boy started, eyeing the outfit that very nicely revealed Misato's lovely form. "You two are going to see Ranma again?"

"That's right. Actually, we're going to be helping him with this…little problem of his," Misato answered easily. When Shinji gave her a confused look, the woman proceeded. "By the way, I mentioned that you were interested in some of his scrolls."

"Oh?" Shinji piped up. "Then…he doesn't mind me looking at them?"

"Not at all," Misato answered. Then she flashed a smile that she knew worked wondered when it came to getting men to do what she wanted. "In fact, he mentioned that he'd like to meet you."

"Really?" said Shinji, rather surprised. He had looked over the scrolls a bit every so often, and while, he hadn't really been able to grasp much. Still, from what he could get the gist of, it seemed oddly interesting. Enough that he thought he'd like to learn a little more.

"Yes," Misato confirmed as Rei entered the room. "You want to come along?"

Shinji considered the matter for the moment. There really wasn't much for him to do at home, and he was rather curious. "Sure," Shinji finally agreed.

"Great!" Misato grinned. The she gave the boy of her teasing looks. "And don't worry; even if an Angel decides to show up, Rei can just hulk out and get you back here in a couple minutes, tops." The instant Shinji processed the image of him being carted around by a nude gamma mutant, his face shone so red he looked ready to explode.

As soon as Misato was done laughing, she, Shinji, and Rei were on their way. During the trip, Misato gave Shinji a toned-down rendition of the events at the dojo, so the boy wasn't exactly surprised at the tattered condition of the building, or the rented moving truck nearby.

"Ah, hi there!" Ranma called out as the three of them approached.

"Hi yourself," Misato answered.

"And I see we have extra company today," Ranma noted, his eyes falling upon the boy. "So you're Shinji, huh?"

"Uh, yes," Shinji answered in his normal shy tone.

Ranma nearly winced in surprised disbelief; he'd never heard such a weak-sounding voice in his life. And the kid's general demeanor was one of gloom and pain.

'_What the hell is wrong with this kid?!'_ Ranma wondered. _'Misato told me about him, but…damn, I really wish she'd have given me a bit more to work with then telling me he has family issues…_'

Quickly glancing at Misato and wishing she had elaborated on what Shinji's difficulties were, Ranma sighed and decided to give a try at learning more about the boy. Given his own experience with family-related problems, he felt that he could at least try and get a better understanding. "So…" Ranma started carefully. "Misato tells me you were interested in those scrolls I gave her."

"Oh…yes I was…" Shinji answered nervously. "I mean…there was a lot I didn't understand, but…"

"I'm not surprised. For somebody new to the martial arts, there's a lot to get used to," Ranma explained. "But, if you like, I'd be happy to train you."

Surprised, Shinji's eyes widened. "R-really?" the boy asked, as if unable to believe this stranger would be so immediately helpful.

"Why not? I've already been working with them," Ranma answered, jerking a thumb at Misato and Rei. "Besides, I'm sure it would come in handy, what with you being a pilot and everything." As Shinji once again looked a bit subdued, the martial artist sighed inwardly. _'And it might give your confidence a boost, too. And judging from what I've heard and am seeing, you could sure use some of that.'_

"Well…" Shinji spoke slowly, his voice somewhat pessimistic. "I don't know…I'm not sure I'd be any good at it."

'_How'd I know this wouldn't be easy?' _Ranma thought. Then he thought of his own past, as well some enemies he had with some family issues of their own. _'Still, this kinda reminds of something…maybe…_

"Well, we can discuss that a bit later," Ranma decided aloud. "I need I need to go over some things with Misato and Rei. You're welcome to watch."

Nodding, Shinji followed Ranma as he approached his current students. "Okay, before we start today I'd like to show you all something." With that, he led the three of them into the yard. There they found a small campfire, with a bag of chestnuts nearby. "None of you will be at the level to learn this move for a while," Ranma explained as he picked up the bag and tore it open, "but I thought it'd be good if I could give you a little preview of what I plan to teach you eventually."

Tossing several of the nuts into the fire, Ranma then smiled as Misato gave him a querulous look. "You'll see once they've gotten roasted," Ranma told her with a grin. Kneeling down before the fire, he then gave his onlookers a shock when his arms blurred. With a series of swift motions, Ranma snatched all the nuts out of the fire. Standing again, Ranma turned and held the nuts out, without so much as a minor burn. "What one?"

"Damn…" Misato murmured while Shinji and Rei gaped. "I wanna say that's impossible, but…"

"Just a little something. I figure both you and Rei will be able to learn in after a few weeks," Ranma told them. Then he focused his attention on the albino. "Rei, I'll be telling you about that special training I was thinking of giving you a bit later today. But I'm gonna warn you right now that it's going to sound pretty crazy."

"Compared to that?" Misato wondered, indicating the nuts.

"Misato, this is just the tip of the iceberg," Ranma informed her wryly. "Anyhow, why don't get going?"

The four of them then entered the dojo, where Ranma put the women through their paces. Shinji just looked on, rather fascinated as the three went through various katas followed by a sparring match. While neither Misato nor Rei were especially skilled yet, they were obviously progressing pretty quickly, Rei especially.

The session continued until Ranma tossed the women a couple towels. After telling them to start their cool down period, he went over to where Shinji was sitting.

"So," Ranma started, "what do you think?"

"Well…It looks interesting…" Shinji replied carefully.

Sensing the caution with which Shinji spoke every word, Ranma then went over to the women. "Misato, Rei, would you two mind loading the truck? I'd like to talk to Shinji a while." Rei merely nodded and set to work Misato however took a moment to lean in close to Ranma.

"You think he's going to do it?" Misato asked in a concerned manner. "I really think your training would be good for him."

"I'll try," Ranma answered earnestly. "I'm going to see if I can get him talking, find out what's wrong with him. I mean…man! The poor kid looks like he's never been able to make a choice for himself!" Misato winced slightly at this, to which Ranma raised an eyebrow. But the woman soon departed, leaving him to go back over to Shinji.

"So…what was that about?" asked Shinji.

"Oh, just comparing notes," Ranma shrugged. "So…would ya like to take a little walk?" Shinji simply nodded, following the pig-tailed fighter outside. Once they were a distance from the house, Ranma spoke again. "So, Shinji…why don't tell me about yourself?"

"What?" Shinji got out.

"Misato's told me quite a bit about you," Ranma smiled warmly. "I just thought I I'd like to get to know the boy who's saved the world."

"Oh…that…" Shinji stammered. "It wasn't anything special."

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "How do you figure that?"

Shrugging, Shinji answered, "Well all I did was…"

"Save Tokyo Three multiple times, twice by yourself," Ranma pointed out. "How's that supposed to be nothing special?"

"I was just lucky," Shinji demurred. Despite the good news Misato had given him regarding his synch ratio, the boy was still nervous about relative strangers.

As for Ranma, he was beginning to doubt this method trying to draw Shinji into conversation could help him figure out what exactly was eating at the boy. Though he was also aware of his own problems with talking things out. Something which was the root of half of the problems that once plagued him.

"Well, you've either got the best luck in the world, or you're being really modest," Ranma went on. Then he decided to try a different tact. "So…you're living with Misato, right?" When Shinji nodded to this, the fighter narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "If you don't mind…I'd like to know how that happened."

For a time, Shinji simply looked at him, and finally shrugged. Giving that he was friends with Misato, it didn't seem unlikely that he would find out anyway. So Shinji began a quick retelling of his past. Including his mother's death, and how Gendo had treated him subsequently.

Listening in growing horror, Ranma was caught between disbelief at how well that tact had worked, disgust at Shinji's abandonment and ill-treatment, gratitude that Misato had been there to help him, and sympathy for the boy's plight and emotional condition.

"So…your father just…sent you away?" Ranma got out when Shinji's narrative ended. "And he called you back…just to make you pilot for him? He wouldn't even…share a house with you?"

"Yeah," Shinji confirmed. His mannerisms causing a red flag to go up in Ranma's mind. Then he gave a wan smile. "Oh, but…I don't mind. Misato…she's really been…nice to me and all."

"I can believe that," Ranma nodded. "So, what's it like, anyway? Piloting one of those things?"

This question caused Shinji's mouth to pop open, only for the boy to close it shut again. Lowering his gaze, he replied, "I'd…rather not talk about that."

"Fair enough," Ranma replied. Wearing a smile that masked the fact that he wanted to break a certain bastard's neck.

'_I'm hating this__ Gendo guy already…and I thought Pop was a piece of work?!' _Ranma thought incredulously. _'I'm starting to think I lucked out by comparison!'_ Looking down at the boy whose shoulders bore so many burdens, Ranma had a better idea of what his problems were. _'Now comes the hard part. Reaching out to him, and getting him to reach back.'_

"Believe it or not, I think I know where you're coming from," Ranma told him. When Shinji gave him a confused look, the martial artist folded his hands behind his head and smiled knowingly. "Well…let's just say I had an interesting dad, too."

"Huh?" Shinji asked, genuine interest in his eyes. A good sign to Ranma's mind. "How's that?"

"Hmm…where do I begin?" Ranma wondered, thinking of all the horror stories that didn't quite seem so horrible now. "Well, we don't have time for the full story, but I can tell you a few things about my old man."

This time it was Shinji who was feeling ill as Ranma began telling a few details of his early life. The martial artist stopped at what had to be the second most horrible day of his life, second only to the NSO's destruction of his old life.

"Your father…dropped you in a pit of starving cats?!" Shinji gaped, looking rather squeamish.

"Yeah. Pops had found this book on martial arts techniques, and that was one of the training methods in it," Ranma explained. Then he made a face. "Of course, he never bothered to read the part about it being too stupid a trick to actually be used!"

As for Shinji, his mouth popped open, only for complete silence to come out of his mouth. There was no insincerity in Ranma's voice, something that had the boy feeling an odd sort of kinship with the martial artist. While Ranma's father was abusive in a much different way than his own (and apparently owed it more to impulsive stupidity than any actual malice) they'd still both suffered under their respective fathers.

For Shinji, the fact that someone who had survived such ordeals, even managing to thrive and become strong despite them, was an alluring one. It made him wonder how Ranma had done so, if it were possible for Shinji to also stand tall, to become strong enough to face his own fears and pain. Perhaps even move beyond them.

At that moment, two things came to a head within Shinji's mind. One was the realization that Ranma was offering to teach. A person who had known pain similar to his was willing to help him become stronger. To learn and grow.

On the other hand was the pessimism and hopelessness that ten years of loneliness and misery had burned into him. The nagging voice that told him that it was useless. That _he _was useless, and would always be so. That nothing he could do would ever change that, and there was no point in even trying. That he ultimately fail and waste Ranma's time, as well as his own.

Ranma watched these different emotions play out on the boy's face, figuring he hadn't quite sold Shinji quite yet but he could see definite interest in the boy's eyes. And even though Shinji seemed rather weak physically, Ranma knew that he was working with damaged goods. And no matter what, he had to try if he was offered the chance. To start someplace and build from there.

While Ranma was hoping that he encourage the boy to give him that chance, Misato and Rei were busy moving Ranma's scroll collection onto the truck. As they were doing so, Misato stumbled enough to send one of the scrolls falling to the ground.

"Damn. Rei, could you get that?" Misato asked as she continued towards the truck. The blue-haired girl nodded and picked up the scroll, which had fallen open.

"Bakusai Tenketsu…" Rei murmured, narrowing her eyes at the title. Closer examination proved it to be a technique for building strength and endurance, among other things, causing the girl to wonder if this was the special training her sensei had spoken of. Then she read the actual method of training.

Even with her recent increase in emotion, Rei was still fairly reserved. So reading that the training in question involved hurling boulders at the trainee didn't provoke the kind of response from her it would from most people. Still, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow before she read over the scroll again, just to make sure she'd read it right.

"Misato…could you please come here?" Rei asked.

"What is it?" Misato asked. Then she looked at the albino and smiled. "What, is there something interesting in that scroll there?"

"Yes," Rei answered. "Could you…please take a look at it?"

Shrugging, Misato came over to Rei's side. Just as she began reading over the albino's shoulder, Ranma and Shinji returned. Looking up from the scroll, Rei looked squarely at the pigtailed man. "Sensei, I would like to ask you something."

"Huh? Oh sure," Ranma answered. Then he noticed the scroll in her hand, and gave a self-depreciating sigh. "Oh, don't tell me. Let me guess. That's the Bakusai Tenketsu scroll, right?"

"Yes," Rei answered before holding the scroll up to him. "Am I…reading this correctly?"

"Yeah. And as crazy as it may seem, it does work really well," Ranma spoke with the voice of experience.

"Seriously?" Misato squeaked out, having read the part about the boulders.

"Seriously. I used to go at it with someone who went through that training. Someone who…helped save my life at the end," Ranma spoke, his words carrying a deep fondness and sadness. Then he put the past aside and returned his attention to the girl before him. "But…well, now you see why I wanted to work on your toughness first. Of course, if you'd rather just stick to lifting and that kind of thing…"

"Well…" Rei assumed a thoughtful look. "I would like to attempt the training in spite of its strangeness." Both Misato and Ranma gave her a surprised look. "It cannot be much worse than being slammed around in the entry plug. And assuming we will be fighting the NSO eventually, I would like to be able to survive long enough to change." As she spoke, Rei suffered a nasty mental image of what Trentor's wrecking ball would likely do if he got the drop on her.

Ranma gave her a grin. "Alright, we'll start working on getting you ready for that tomorrow," he declared. Then he looked over at his other student. "So, have you seen anything that you'd like to try Misato?"

"Well, yes, actually," Misato admitted. "There was this one particular ki attack that sounded interesting…"

"You read the rest of that scroll, huh?" Ranma gathered, his enthusiasm falling substantially. "Well, I dunno…that technique is pretty dangerous. And then there's the question of if…"

"I think I've got enough to power it if that's what you're driving at," Misato answered with an edge of grimness. Shinji and Rei both giving the two odd looks, trying to figure out what they were talking about.

"Well, I won't pretend to know your life story," Ranma finally said. _Much as I think I'd like to know more about you…_

While Ranma was wondering where exactly that thought had come from, Misato was having similar thoughts. _I wouldn't mind telling you, or finding out a bit more about you… _

Quickly shaking herself clear of such things, Misato went on. "By the way, about the job we discussed this morning? I think I should be able to arrange for something."

"Great," Ranma with a grin. "It'll be nice to be able to keep an eye on my students. And if your security guys are as bad as you said…"

"No, they're worse," Misato returned, adding to the air of mirth.

A short time later, the packing was done and everyone left the former Saotome Dojo. The rest of the day was spent helping Ranma move into his new home. Once that was done, Ranma gave them some good news; Nabiki had found a new location for the Saotome Dojo, which would be much closer to their apartment building. It would hopefully probably be set up in about a week after which they'd start with their special training.

Once they were done at Ranma's new home, Misato and the children returned to their own apartment for dinner. Ranma had followed along, just to learn the way. Just as he was getting ready to leave, however, Misato came back out and smiled at him. "Say, Ranma…would you like to have dinner with us?"

"What?" Ranma gaped, taken aback by this request. Then, a measure of his old caution with women coming to the fore, he ran his hand down the back of his head. "Are you sure about that? I mean…I don't want to intrude or anything…"

"No, it's fine!" Misato insisted. "Besides, it looks like Asuka decided to eat with a friend of hers! So we've got an open chair, anyway!"

For a time, Ranma looked at the woman and considered her request. And it wasn't long before he accepted it. After too long in too empty a home, the warrior wanted nothing more than to be in a home filled with people.

With Asuka safely out with Hikari for the night, Shinji and Ranma ended up preparing the meal together at Ranma's insistence, both making sure to make at least one vegetarian dish for Rei. Soon the four were enjoying their meal, Shinji in particular finding an odd sense of comradely in the sense of family he found. And Ranma's presence was also appealing in that he was a male figure who had faced demons similar to his and triumphed.

For a time, the four ate in relative silence. A silence that Misato finally broke. "Hey, Ranma?"

"Hmmm?"

"Would you mind if I…asked you a few things?" Misato wondered, smiling a slightly nervous smile. "We're going to be spending a lot of time working together. It…might be a good idea for us to get to know each other better."

Finding himself smiling as old hopes returned to him, Ranma asked, "Okay, what do you want to know?"

---------------------------------------------

Omake (just thought I'd give this kinda thing a try)

Later on, the four were enjoying their meal

"Well, I sure learned a lot today," announced Misato around her umpteenth can of beer. "I've learned... that you can't buy the necessities of life with cookies, and you certainly can't buy a car with cookies." Ranma looked at Misato incredulously.

"Did you actually try doing that?"

"Yeah," Misato admitted. "But I don't really remember anything else that happened that day. Maybe something about a dumpster, but I'm not sure." It was at this point that Shinji began fearing for his personal safety around Misato, while Rei continued to eat her pickle and lettuce sandwich, staring blankly into space. At that point Pen Pen waddled up.

"Seriously? That's how we're ending the chapter?"

"Something wrong?" Asked Ranma

"Of course! I mean that barely even qualifies as a joke, when the hell did cookies even play into this?"

"I have to agree." Said Rei, "Are we that out of ideas?"

"Well," said Misato, "I don't know I kinda like it, nothing wrong with random humor."

"There's random and then there's just desperate." Groaned Pen Pen.

"Since when can you talk anyhow?" said Shinji the others nodding

"Since the writer decided he could milk this gag a little longer."

"Seriously guys," said Ranma, "We need something to end this chapter on a high note…"

"Well…" said Misato, "Let me think a minute here…"

"Misato and I could work out in the nude." Suggested Rei, "That would please some of our readers."

"I'm pretty sure the author wants to save that kinda thing for when he's got enough cash to commission an artist." Said Ranma.

"Well we're not supposed to sleep with each other for a few more chapters but we could get in practice." Said Misato giving Ranma a saucy wink.

"Is that all we've got?" said Shinji, "When in doubt just whip out the tits?"

"Well you and Ranma could make out…." Said Rei with a thoughtful look.

"Hey that's not a bad idea." Said Misato, Ranma and Shinji both giving her shocked looks, "What you think the writer's buddy on deviant art's the only one that likes yaoi?" Both Rei and Misato gave the boys evil looking smiles.

"Shinji…" said a very nervous Ranma

"Yes Ranma?"

"Are they serious?"

"Do you want to risk finding out?" asked Shinji now looking down right terrified as the two women began to advance.

"Better safe then sorry! Run for it!" with that the two sprang up and ran for the hills.

"Damn it!" shouted Misato, "So much for equal opportunity."

"Yes. Want to have sex?" said Rei.

"Yeah okay."

(Author's Notes: And that's what happens when I can't think of a bloody ending for the chapter, thanks to Sissy Conformist for help on the idea, and as always OrionPax09 for making the whole mess readable.)


	7. Chapter 7

**Brain Dead 12 ½ studios presents:**

**Evahulk**

**Chapter 7:**

**Mind Fuckers incorporated part 1**

**Or**

**Fate bitchslaps Shinji take 50000**

"So what do you want to know about?" Ranma wondered

"Well," Misato began thoughtfully. "If you don't mind me asking, I'd like to know just how you do that little trick from yesterday…"

Shinji gave his guardian a weird look, while Ranma sighed. "Yeah, I kinda figured you'd ask about that eventually. Everyone does, sooner or later."

"Sorry," Misato apologized, sensing that she was on sensitive ground. "If it's something you don't want to talk about…"

"Nahhh. I just get tired of talking about it," Ranma smiled, waving aside her concerns. Then he noticed that Shinji was looking from face to face, waiting for someone to explain what was going on. "Well, since Shinji's looking at us like we're insane, we better show him what we're talking about."

"Very well," Rei spoke up. Before anyone could stop her, the literal-minded albino took her glass of water and upended it over Ranma's head.

Suddenly a very soggy and very female, Ranma looked somewhat sourly at Rei. "Thanks," the redhead muttered while Shinji took in the transformed martial artist. His reaction to this was relatively mild; his jaw only hit the table hard enough to cause minor damage.

"Uhhh…" Shinji gaped, taking in every detail of Ranma's feminine form. The sight of a beautiful, busty redheaded woman whose wet shirt was clinging to her delectable body having a strong effect on the boy's libido. Fortunately for Shinji, living with someone as immodest as Misato had desensitized him enough that he avoided nosebleeding to death.

While Shinji was struggling to avert his eyes from Ranma's chest, Misato was grinning impishly. "Yeah that one," she commented, earning an annoyed look from Ranma. "Sorry. Couldn't resist."

"Well, it's a better reaction than I'm use to getting," Ranma commented with a somewhat strained smile.

"What…" Shinji got out, having succeeded in raising his eyes higher than Ranma-chan's chest. "What the…what just happened?"

"Well," Ranma started, clearly considering how to put this. Then she shrugged and asked, "Do you three believe in curses?"

"Considering everything else that's happened?" Misato asked mischievously. "Yes."

"Curses?" asked a thoroughly confused Shinji. Rei just sat there, though her eyes were curious.

"Well," Ranma started with a note of reluctance, "a long time ago, when Pop and I were training in China we went to a place called the Jusenkyo. Also known as the Pools of Sorrows…."

"This isn't going to be something like the Cat Fist is it?" asked Shinji, still feeling a little queasy thinking about that.

"Kinda," Ranma sighed, not liking the thought of that, either. "He was looking over brochures of training spots and thought that one sounded good." then he gave them all a lopsided grin. "Of course, the brochures said, 'You'd have to be a complete moron to train here,' but it was in Chinese, which naturally he couldn't read." This resulted in a snicker from Misato, one Ranma took a moment to enjoy before proceeding. "Well, to make a long story short there are…I think it was a hundred different cursed springs. And the way it works is, basically if you fall in, you turn into whatever drowned there whenever you get hit with cold water."

"And a girl drowned in the one you fell in?" Misato gathered.

"Yep. Hot water cancels it out, but just until the next time," Ranma explained. "Pops got a panda, and I knew another guy who was a pig…there were some really strange ones though."

"How strange?" asked Shinji.

"Well your not gonna believe this but somehow an octopus managed to drown in one of them," Ranma told them with utmost seriousness. "Don't ask."

"I wasn't going to," Misato said simply. Shinji and Rei nodded, all of them looking slightly weirded out.

"Haven't you every tried to cure it?" asked Shinji.

"Lots of times," Ranma grumbled, seeming to remember every attempt right there. "And every damn cure either didn't work, or it only worked for a while, or ended up causing a ton of trouble and then being lost before anyone could use it. So eventually, I just decided it wasn't worth it." Shrugging tiredly, Ranma looked at them evenly. "I still don't really like it, but I'm used to it. Hell, sometimes I don't even notice it."

"I see," Misato spoke. Then she shifted about in her seat and said, "I don't want to sound rude, but…."

"Trust me Misato, you can't say anything about pop that I haven't said myself," Ranma told her emphatically. "That's all ancient history anyhow." As Misato nodded to this, the pigtailed woman leaned forward. "So…anything else you want to ask about?"

"Well," Misato started, clearly unhappy about what she was about to say "There are a couple of things, though I'm not sure you're really going to want to talk about it."

"If you mean…them…" Ranma prompted, a lump of bile forming in his throat. When Misato nodded, he sighed with tremendous reluctance. "I can't really tell you a lot."

"A little is better then nothing…." Misato pleaded.

"Them?" asked Shinji.

"The NSO," Misato explained with a sideways glance. "The ones that shut down headquarters. And you remember that conversation I had when you and Asuka were stuck in the plugs?" Shinji gave a quick nod to this. "Right. I think you know why I'd want to know about people who can apparently waltz right into NERV HQ anytime they feel like." When Shinji looked down at the table, Misato smiled sympathetically. "Still, you two don't have to stay around and listen if you don't want to."

"I will listen," Rei answered simply.

"Well…" Shinji got out. He was none too eager to hear about the possibilities of new enemies. "I'd rather go think over what I talked about with Ranma."

"No problem," Ranma smiled warmly. "Think about it carefully, Shinji. I think it could do you some good."

"I will, thank you," Shinji answered as he rose from his seat. "And thanks for helping me with dinner."

"Take your time Shinji. If you want to talk more about it later we're both here," Misato told him. As Shinji nodded and went to his room, she turned to Ranma again. "Is there anything you can tell me?"

"Well…" Ranma sighed woefully. "Yes, but nothing that will really help. I could tell you the most about Kasumi really." The moment this name was said, the pain in her voice was magnified tenfold. "And what I know about that makes me sure I don't wanna know anymore." When Misato nodded her understanding, the redhead elaborated. "Well, this won't really help with fighting them but, Kasumi was the gentlest, sweetest woman I'd ever met, even if she did seem a little…ditzy some times. She was practically the mother for her whole family, her dad included, and for me…well, she was like the big sister I never had."

"How did…" Misato started, trailing off when she couldn't think of a way to ask her question that didn't sound tactless.

"She end up as Shrivanzella?" Ranma concluded for her. "To tell you the truth, I don't know. She just vanished one day, went out to do the shopping and never came back." Leaning back, Ranma seemed to be reliving that horrid moment in time. "Things went crazy, even by the standards we had around there. Everyone tried to help, but we couldn't find a trace. It got so bad that I thought we were all going to go nuts, and let me tell you, considering the kind of lives we were living…." She paused and shook her head. "Well, if I start talking about that we'll be here all night. And then after about a month…we found the first body."

"A body?" Misato replied, raising a purple eyebrow.

"Yeah. It had been dumped right at front door," Ranma explained. "Didn't turn out to be anyone we knew, but finding a flash fried corpse on your doorstep when you're going half nuts, and most of the district seems about ready to go with you….well you can imagine." When Mistao nodded her understanding, Ranma shrugged woefully. "And then other bodies started turning up. That went on for about…half a month I think."

"And then?" Misato prompted.

"They attacked," Ranma answered simply. "I actually wasn't there when it started. Me, Akane and Nabiki came home after school and found Pop and their dad dead. Then the next thing we knew…they were everywhere. Then stuff started blowing up all over the place. I couldn't make sense of it at the time, but I found out later they weren't just hitting the dojo. They were attacking a few other people at the same time."

Heaving a deep breath, Ranma shook her head miserably. "To tell you the truth, I'm not exactly sure what happened when. Akane hulked out at some point, Ryoga - he was another one of the old gang, I'll tell you about him sometime - he showed up, Nabiki took a sword to the spine, and then Nix showed up. That's pretty much where it all went to hell." The redhead shuddered, and it was obvious to the others that the memories of that particular fight were something that would haunt Ranma the rest of his/her life. "It was pretty much like yesterday. All of the others gave her a lot of room, she tossed some insults, she attacked me and I ended up breaking my arm when I tried to fight back. Hulk-chan - that's what Akane called herself when she changed - she smashed Nix into the ground and the next thing anyone knew Genocyber came out…"

"Oh, God…" Misato murmured, dreading what she was sure to come next.

"Come to think of it…Nix even said the same thing back then. Of course…none of us knew what the hell an Eva was then," Ranma recalled, narrowing her eyes at the memory. Then she heaved a deep sigh. "I'm not exactly sure I can call what happened after that a fight really, Nix caught us all by surprise and I guess she wasn't feeling generous that day. Hulk-chan ended up lasting about five minutes before Nix got her teeth in her."

Misato reached out at this point and took hold of Ranma's hand. "You don't have to go into details."

"Thanks," Ranma spoke gratefully, shaking her head slowly. "I've been trying to get that image out of my mind since it happened. After that…well, I can remember Akane shouting at me to get out of there, to take Nabiki and go. I grabbed Nabiki, and I started running, and then….it's all a blur." It was then that Ranma looked straight at Misato, her eyes no longer locked in the past. "I have no idea how I survived…and it was about a week later Second Impact happened. So…maybe they somehow knew about that and figured it would finish the job." Holding up her hands, Ranma quickly let them fall into her lap. "As far as I know…nobody else made it."

"I see…" Misato muttered sadly. "I'm…so sorry, I…"

"Yeah," Ranma tried to smile, only to fail miserably. "Sorry I can't tell you anything that'd be more useful."

"Don't worry about it," Misato said as soothingly as she could manage. "I wasn't expecting all the answers would just drop in my lap. Hell, I can't even seem to get a straight answer about anything at NERV these days." Ranma nodded sympathetically, but anything she might have said in response was cut off with the return of a certain redheaded fireball.

"I'm home!" Asuka called out, looking like her night out with Hikari had done her wonders.

"Hi Asuka," Misato responded. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah," Asuka declared as she entered the dinning room. She immediately took notice of the new face in the room, finding her gaze drawn to the very pretty bright redheaded woman. Asuka was at a loss to explain what is was but there was something about the woman that made Asuka feel an odd sort of respect. Asuka had always fancied herself a fighter and there was an air around the pig-tailed woman that just screamed 'warrior' "So who are you?"

"Ranko Saotome," the woman answered.

"She's a friend I met recently," Misato explained, giving Ranma an odd look. "You'll probably be seeing a lot of her."

"Well, that depends on how often it rains around here," Ranma muttered beneath her breath. Then more audibly she said, "Pleased to meet you. I'm guessing you're Asuka?"

"That's me," Asuka grinned widely. Just before launching into a typically immodest self introduction.

_Wow,_ thought Ranma, _well at least she's not hurting for self esteem…Or she hides it real well if she is…kinda reminds me of Akane, actually…_

-------------------------------------------------

As the evening wore on a bit longer, Asuka and Rei eventually retired to their room. Leaving Misato to grin impishly at Ranma. "So what do you think of my little family?" she asked as Ranma prepared to leave.

"They're an interesting bunch of kids," Ranma smiled. "Anyway, I better get going. I'll see you and Rei in the morning…"

"You…don't have to leave if you don't want to," Misato told her.

"What?" Ranma got out, surprise engraved upon her face.

"Well, it's just…" Misato tried, only to falter. There was just so much pain hanging in the air after Ranma's tale, pain that left her confused an uncertain. She wanted to comfort Ranma, there was no doubt there, and yet…

"No. Never mind. Sorry," Misato finally told her. Then she mustered another of her famous smiles, though it felt somewhat awkward. "Anyhow, I'll see you tomorrow."

Looking at her uncertainly for a time, Ranma then smiled and waved just before heading towards the door. When she heard the gender-bending martial artist exit, Misato groaned in response to various emotions. _Damn it,_ Misato grumbled inwardly._ I must be worse off then I thought. Sure I like him but it's way to early for that…besides, I gotta remember what Nabiki told me…_

-------------------------------------------------------

"Idiot!" screamed Nix, her voice echoing throughout the main NSO base, causing much of the general personnel to tremble in fear and be grateful they weren't the ones being yelled at.

Shrivanzella wasn't so fortunate, being the target of Nix's ire. She was stripped to the waist, her scarred countenance creased with pain and fear. So much so that she was unable to do little more than kneel on the floor Room 491, which was known amongst the general personnel as 'the human rights violation room'. It was within those four walls that unlucky victims of the Empress's wrath were dragged for her to vent her frustrations upon them. The room was already strewn with a fair amount of debris, broken two by fours and bricks being the most common.

"Moron!" bellowed Nix again, grabbing Shirvanzella by the hair. "Do you have any goddamned idea what your damned ass-dragging has caused?!" Shirvanzella remained silent, having learned the hard way that actually saying anything in this situation would only make things worse. "Now the damned Hulks are going to get even more obnoxious to deal with, and on top of it Saotome's onto us! You stupid…!"

Now inarticulate with rage, Nix grabbed an intact brick from the large pile of such she had sitting next to her and proceeded to lift it high, planning to smash it into her subordinate's head. However, she didn't get a chance as suddenly another voice piped up.

"What the hell is going on here?" came Nescaro's voice. The only voice that could cause Nix to go dead white and drop her weapon without complaint. Turning about and watching as he husband approached, the Empress almost fell on her knees as well as he directed his formidable gaze at her.

"If anyone here should have the shit kicked out of them, it's you, dearest," Nescaro spoke even evenly. "After all, you're the one who was dumb enough to transform and give our secret weapon away." At his words, Nix suddenly let out a hideous scream and fell to her knees, experiencing within her own mind the agony of being skinned alive and dumped into a pit filled with rock salt. An agony produced by the psychic powers of the Emperor.

Smiling inwardly at the torment he was subjecting his wife to, Nescaro then turned his attention to her victim. "Shriv, get your shirt on and get yourself to the medlab," he told her casually. "And you two don't forget we've got another meeting later, assuming that damned Angel finally shows up. Annoying fucking things…"

"Yes, sir," Shirvanzella answered as Nix convulsed. If she took any delight in the reversal of situations, she wasn't insane enough to display it.

"And honey, do try to remember not to abuse the help," Nescaro told her in a sweet tone. "I mean, really. If you really have to beat on something that much, just grab Nagaii once in a while. She likes that sort of thing, and the last thing I need is having to delay our next move because you're feeling frustrated and ended up crippling someone important. Again."

"Of course…honey," Nix growled between pants, trying to get her breathing back under control. "That was a dirty trick, though…"

"It's not my fault that it takes a truck to the back to get your attention," Nescaro declared. "Or have you forgotten what I had to do when our daughter was born?"

"Daughter…" Nix growled, making this word seem like the deepest of curses. "I don't care what you say, letting that little waste of sperm live is the biggest mistake you've made since you let Ranma get away!"

"You're the one that was so preoccupied with watching his lover die. And I was occupied with the Amazon queen bitch at the time," Nescaro reminded her, sounding very annoyed. "As for Mana, I would like it if you'd leave your hatred for her at the door for once. It would do us all some good if you'd just acknowledge her; she has the potential to be quite a thorn in our side." Letting that sink in, the Emperor took a deep breath and changed gears. "In any case, we have more important things to do then argue at the moment. We need to make preparations for Operation: Wake the Dead."

"Of course," Nix grunted as she shakily got to her feet. "You are a bastard, you know that?"

"And you're a rancid bitch," Nescaro retorted. "That's why we're prefect for each other." Nix snorted at that, but was unable to hide the large grin she now wore.

--------------------------------------------------

In another part of the base, the four females collectively known as the Bloody Maidens were having their own discussions. Kyoko was presently pacing a hole in the carpet while Nancy was mostly lying on their quarter's couch, alternating between reading and observing her worried lover. All the while Kara sat at the large piano that dominated the left side of the room, while the mutated sister that sometimes occupied her body made faces at Kyoko, enjoying the benefit of the two obvious ear plugs shielding her from Kara's music.

"Damn it…" groaned the bespectacled woman. "That girl's going to give me an ulcer and I don't even have a damned stomach!"

"Will you just calm down?" Nancy pleaded. "All that pacing is making me nervous."

"Calm down she say…the princess has run off and she says calm down," Kyoko muttered incredulously. "This could turn into a major shit storm!"

"It'd be faster to list things that couldn't turn into a shit storm," Nancy retorted. "Mana doesn't really know enough about the plans to be a leak."

"Who's worried about that? You know what a fetish for emotionally damaged men she has! One look at the little bastard and she'll be moister then a whore in a baby oil factory!" Kyoko growled. "And once that happens, it'll give Nix the excuse she's been looking for to declare open season. Not to mention that my daughter's going to get dragged into the blast zone! Damn it, I thought that girl was smarter than that!"

"She is she just takes after you," Nancy shrugged casually. "She's completely in love with Mana; one hit of the puppy dog eyes and she'll fold like a house of cards during a windstorm." Kyoko gave the other woman a sour look. "It's your own fault for deciding to take over as her caregiver, you know."

"She is still the child of the Emperor - our husband - even if the one that actually gave birth to her wants nothing to do with her," Kyoko grumbled. "And she is a sweet girl…even if she's dumb as a rock."

----------------------------------------------------

Some distance from Tokyo Three, the morning began much as it normally did. Misato and Rei were doing their usual morning training with Ranma before heading home for breakfast. While the Misato and Ranma were heading to NERV so that he could begin his new job there, the children went to school, with normalcy continuing to be dominant.

Despite all the changes to her life, Rei continued to act somewhat like herself in public, and for several reasons. One was the fact that she didn't want to give Gendo any reason to try and replace her, to eradicate the powers and memories and life she had enjoyed since she had become R-Hulk for the very first time. Another was that, for the most part, she simply didn't know how else to act. So she did mostly the same things at school that she had always done, including gazing out the window for extensive periods of time.

As Rei was doing so, however, her attention was drawn by three male voices, including that of her genetic brother. Finding herself wondering what they were talking about, the albino turned and looked in their direction…and froze.

Shinji was at his desk, talking to his friends, Toji and Kensuke. A trio of males often referred to by Asuka and Hikari as the Three Stooges. And Rei had been aware of the other two members of this threesome for time now, though she never paid them much attention.

Which was why Rei was somewhat puzzled by the way her gaze was drawn to Toji. Baffled at the way she studied the jock's athletic frame, taking in every detail of him. And was completely unable to understand the way her heart beat just a bit faster, the sensations she felt as she continued to look at him.

Sensations that she found to be very pleasant. Which was why Rei continued to follow Toji with her eyes, even when class began. Continuing to take in every detail of the male, even as she tried to decipher these sensations that he triggered within her.

----------------------------------------------------

Unbeknownst to Rei, she was not the only one dealing with her emotions. For elsewhere in the classroom, Mana Kirishima was drilling Shinji with her own eyes.

Mana was a Neo Sapien, a human with a mutation that gave her abilities far beyond the human norm. Unlike many Neo Sapiens, however, not only was she not a follower of the NSO, but she had been born with her abilities via natural means, rather than created in some lab, or mutated as part of some experiment. And as the child of both Emperor Nescaro and Nix, she had some very unusual abilities. One of which was a form of psychic perception she referred to as 'metaphor vision'.

While it was somewhat complicated, and even Mana couldn't make full sense of all the images it showed, this special form of vision was basically the next best thing to mindreading. As near as she could tell, it translated a person's true self into images she could see, and it was something that she wasn't always comfortable doing, simply because some people she had encountered were evil to the core. Something she had discovered when she used this vision to look into Nagaii's heart, and had wound up regretting it.

However, she had come to Tokyo Three for the express purpose of meeting Shinji, a boy whom she knew was key to both her father's plans, as well as those of SEELE. And she wanted to learn everything she could about him, so she decided to her employ her strange gift. As a result, when she looked at the boy conversing quietly with his friends, she saw a small child, covered in chains and bruises, a gaping bloody wound on his heart. The blood from this wound spilled forth, forming the kanji for Father and Mother.

The very sight of it was nearly enough to break Mana's heart in half. _So much pain…_she thought woefully. _I thought he was cute already, but seeing this…_

Every time she looked at him that way, Mana wanted nothing more than to hold him, tell him he deserved better, tell him his father was a fool, kiss him, offer herself, anything to ease his pain. But at the same time, she knew that the proper time had yet to present itself, something that annoyed her greatly. Mana had very little in common with her parents, but a lack of patience was one trait she had gotten from them.

So she continued to watch Shinji. Not aware of just how soon the boy would be in even greater pain than before.

----------------------------------------------------

As the school day wore, none of the students nor the teachers were aware that there was sure sign that something was wrong standing on the roof of their school. A blonde woman with horns was standing there, smoking a large cigar. And while she puffed on it, she constantly looked out over the horizon expectantly.

"Damned slowpoke…" she muttered, glancing down at her watch. "You can't even count on Angels to be on time anymore." Grunting in irritation, she scanned the horizon again, and continued to do so until she caught sight of Tokyo Three's latest vistor. At which point she smiled deeply.

"Ah ha! Here he comes now," the woman grinned even as a massive globe appeared in the sky above Tokyyo-3. "This should be a fine show. Better get a ringside seat…" With that she sunk into her shadow, which then shot off into the distance.

While the woman was finding the best possible viewing point, the alarms at NERV sounded in response to the latest Angel's appearance. The Angel resembled nothing so much as an enormous black marble that had white stripes painted on it by someone with a very shaky hand. Which was why, when Misato and Ranma arrived at NERV HQ, the bridge was in a state of controlled chaos.

"Your late major!" Ritsuko shouted as they approached. Then she stared at the less familiar of the pair. "And what are you doing on the bridge?"

"Rei's my student," Ranma told her simply. "I've got a personal stake in this, too."

"Don't worry about it, Ritsuko," Misato smirked dangerously. "Just think of him as your insurance in case I get temperamental." Then she leaned closer to the faux-blonde, her smile adding, 'Argue about it, and I will'. Upon seeing this, Ritsuko groaned to herself, but decided it wouldn't be worth protesting.

Satisfied with her victory, Misato got down to business. "So what the hell is going on here? The observation center…"

"Never saw it," Aoba replied. "It just appeared over headquarters."

To Ranma's surprise, a slight feminine snicker was heard at these words. But when he looked about, he couldn't see any immediate sign of anyone that would be inclined to find the situation funny.

While Ranma was wondering if he had just been imagining things, the three children had been sent out. Unit One taking a pistol, Zero a sniper rifle, and Two a prog ax.

"Can you hear me?" Misato spoke over the com lines. "I've sent you all the target data. That's literally all we know, so I want you to attack it carefully and observe its reactions. If possible, try to lure it out of the city. And I want you all to back each other up. Do you all understand?"

"Yeeeeeeees ma'am" Asuka responded in her most annoying tone. Then she looked craftily at the Major. "But don't you think that _Shinji_ ought to be taking the point position?"

"Huh?" was the general reaction of everyone listening. Including Shinji himself.

"Well, it's only right that a job like this should go to the highest rated, bravest, number one synchro ratio holder of them all don't you think?" Asuka explained in the same tone. A collective groan went up from everyone on the bridge, one that got louder a moment later when Asuka continued. "Or could it be that you don't feel up to it Shinji?"

Ranma face palmed at this. "How do I know this is going to end badly…?" he muttered, having a bad feeling about what was going to happen next..

Unfortunately, Ranma's premonition was well-founded. "I can do it!" Shinji shouted, clearly stung by Asuka's barb. "If fact, I'll show you how it's outta be done, Asuka!"

"Will you two cut it out?" groaned Misato, knowing that this could only end badly.

Shinji smiled shamelessly at his guardian. "Well, gee, Misato, didn't you tell me I was Number One yesterday?"

"Well, yeah, but…I…" sputtered a flustered Misato.

"And after all," Shinji grinned, giving them all a thumbs up. "Combat's a man's job!" This said, he shut down his com window. While Asuka, growling out that she'd run backup, following suit.

"I don't believe these kids…" Misato groaned, knowing that this could only end badly.

"Shinji's hormones are kicking in eh?" Ritsuko commented cattily.

"I remember when I was nice and stupid like that," Ranma sighed.

"Sensei," came Rei's voice. It was then that they noticed that her com window was still open, and she was looking directly at Ranma. "Something is wrong…"

"What do you mean?" Ranma wondered, something in him prickling at the tone in her voice.

"I am trying to focus on the Angel's chi as you taught me…" Rei explained evenly. "I cannot find any. I realize I am still unskilled but…"

Frowning, Ranma reached out with his own mind. "You're right, something definitely stinks," he concurred, sensing nothing of the monster that threatened them. Not even a trace. "Watch yourself."

Rei nodded, shutting down her window as she and the other children slowly moved into position. Asuka was being delayed by having her power cord get snagged and having to replace it. And during this time, Shinji's patience soon reached its limit and he opened fire on the Angel. Which instantly vanished.

At this point, all hell broke loose as every alarm in NERV went off. "What's going on?" Misato demanded.

"A shadow…!" Ranma shouted, wanting to kick himself clear to the moon. "Damn it! I should have known!"

"Blue pattern confirmed!" shouted one of the bridge techs. "It's right under Unit One!"

"What the -?!" Shinji cried out as the ground around his Eva's feet suddenly turned black. To his horror, the horned destroyer began to sink. "A shadow?! What the hell is this?!" cried the panic-stricken boy as he was dragged down into the darkness. _"This can't be happening!!"_

"Shinji! _Get out of there!_" Misato cried out frantically.

"Damn it! Get your ass in gear!" Asuka shouted as Unit One continued to vanish into the shadow. Shinji too firmly in the grip of fear to even try to escape.

"Eject the plug!" Misato ordered. Get him out of there!"

"It's no good, it's not responding!" Maya reported.

"_Misato!"_ Shinji screamed a final time. And was silenced when Unit One vanished completely.

"No!" Misato cried out desperately. "Asuka, Rei! Rescue Unit One!"

"Damn it!" Asuka shouted as she charged towards the shadow, the sphere reappearing above it. "What good is only getting A's on tests and not in real life?"

While Asuka was grousing, Unit Zero opened fire on the sphere. As before, it vanished into nothingness, the darkness of its shadow spreading forth across the streets beneath Unit Two. Crying out as she realized her predicament, Asuka urged her Eva to leap upon a nearby skyscraper, which was already sinking into the darkness. As she climbed up and away from the abyss, using her ax to aide her, Asuka eventually reached the top, and watched as every building within view suffered the same fate.

"The whole city is sinking…." Asuka gasped in dread awe.

While she taking in this tableau, Misato's voice came to her. "Asuka, Rei…withdraw," the Major spoke, her voice heavy with grief.

"What?" Asuka got out. As surprised by this as anything.

"But my bro…Unit One and Shinji are still in there," Rei protested.

"This is an order…" Misato forced through clinched teeth. Sensing the pain wracking the woman, Ranma a chi-cooled hand to her neck to help her keep herself under control. "Withdraw now…"

--------------------------------------------------------------

A few hours passed after Unit One was swallowed by the Angel. Hours in which NERV set up a temporary "open air" operations theater outside the range of the Angel. As they worked to find a way to destroy this latest monster, the evil orb hung over the city, completely sedate since it had absorbed Unit One.

"The UN forces have surrounded shadow," Aoba reported, even as Misato studied the monster that had taken a member of her family away from her.

Nodding, Misato's ear perked up when she heard Asuka's voice. Looking about, she saw the redhead and Rei standing near their Evas. "Taking matters in his own hands, defying operations, I guess he got what he was asking for," Asuka gloated, despite the fact that her tone was rather subdued. Even a touch sad. Something that faded as she continued. "Just because he got a little higher score then mine he had to go and show ME how it's done…"

Grimacing at this, Misato thought back to what had happened when they had tried to reel Shinji and Unit One back in. At how the cable ended, with nothing on the other end. Then she noticed Rei glaring intently at Asuka, something that soon had the German bristling.

"What?" growled the Germanic fireball. "Oh, were my comments about Shinji pissing you off, Wondergirl?"

"I wonder…" Rei began in thoughtful manner. "Do you only pilot an Eva for the praise of others?"

"What?!" Asuka roared indignantly. "What in the hell are you talking about? I don't need anyone's approval but my own!" When Rei said nothing to this, the German smirked nastily. "What's the matter? Has the great R-hulk finally gotten something stuck in her nudist ass?"

Rei frowned intently at this, as if considering the implications behind Asuka's shot at her alter ego. "Do you wish to become like us?" she finally asked.

"What?" Asuka asked, as if unsure if she had heard the albino correctly.

"Katsuragi and myself," Rei elaborated. "Do you want the gamma power as well?"

"What?!" Asuka shrieked, her face twisting with absolute disgust for her fellow pilot. "Why the hell would I want to turn into some big, naked, Technicolor _freak_?! I want nothing to do with it!"

The instant these words were out of her mouth, another voice was heard. A voice that screamed within Asuka's own mind. '_LIAR!'_ the voice shrilled at her._ 'You sure as hell do want it! Think of it…all that power, you'd never have to be afraid of anything again. And just think of having a body like that…'_

'_I'm not afraid of anything!'_ Asuka shouted back, trying to silence this rebellious part of her psych.

'_Oh, like hell you aren't!'_ the voice sneered mockingly._ 'Much as I might hate it, I'm part of you, remember? You really think you can hide things from me?'_

'_Shut up!'_ Asuka shrieked. Suddenly becoming aware that Rei was giving the suddenly silent but intensely irate girl an odd look.

"Shut up shut up shut up!" Asuka screamed aloud, unable to think of anything else to say as she distanced herself from the albino.

"Cut it out you two," Misato spoke miserably. "Asuka's right. He acted arbitrarily, without consulting anyone. So I guess…I'll have to punish him when he comes back…"

As she spoke, Ranma walked up to Rei, laying a companionable hand on her shoulder. "Sensei…" Rei murmured.

"Before you start blaming yourself, do us both a favor," Ranma told her. "Don't. There was no way you could have figured out the Angel's game at the level you're at. If anyone failed here, it was me." Rei frowned in confusion at this, something that actually had Ranma smiling ruefully. "I've actually dealt with techniques that work similarly to...whatever it did…and it caught me napping."

"But what now?" Rei wondered.

"We figure out a way to beat it," Ranma told her simply. "Anyhow, Ritsuko wants everyone over by the generator."

-------------------------------------------

"So the black shadow…is the real Angel…" Misato murmured numbly. Having listened to all the data Ritsuko had managed to gather regarding the Angel.

"Yes," Ritsuko nodded. "I doubt even you and Rei could actually do anything to it."

"Yeah," Ranma concurred. "And there's one more thing we've got to worry about…"

"What?" Misato wondered. Her confusion mounting as Ranma turned and looked at apparently empty air. "What is it?"

"I've been quiet until now, but I'm sure you're there," Ranma continued, sounding more annoyed than anything else. "So stop wasting everybody's time and just come out."

For a time, everyone just stood there, staring perplexedly at Ranma. But then something was heard. A voice that seemed to coming from Ritsuko's shadow. "Well done, Saotome," the voice said, preceding the emergence of a figure from the shadow. As Ritsuko stumbled away from the figure, it slowly took on humanoid form. "A chi master at your level in this day and age…truly remarkable." As she spoke, the bizarre woman's body took on greater detail. She was an attractive blonde with a set of horns on her head, and opaque black eyes. "I can see why the Emperor is so concerned about you…and before anyone gets trigger-happy…I'm here to help."

"Who the hell are you?" Ranma demanded.

"NSO Warlord Number One; Kappa Renfield, at your service," the woman said with a bow. Then she looked mockingly in Ritsuko's direction. "And I'm here to tell you your plan is complete shit."

"What are you…?" the scientist got out.

"Drop the remaining 992 N2 mines on the target while the leftover Evas hold the AT-Field open," Kappa stated in a bored fashion. "That is the plan, isn't it?"

"What?!" shouted Misato and Rei in unison, their eyes flashing menacingly. Then, with a voice strained with barely suppressed rage, the Major added, "But the damage to Unit One…!"

"Oh, don't worry about it," Kappa smirked derisively. "It won't work anyway. AT-Field or not, it'll barf the explosion right back in your collective faces."

"And how would you know?" Ritsuko demanded, feeling the situation spiraling out of her hands. Kappa smirked, then suddenly vanished. Almost instantly the ground beneath Ritsuko's feet turned dark and, much to her horror she began sinking, Kappa's evil sounding laugh in her ears. Before anyone could react the faux-blonde had been pulled in up to her neck.

"Have I got your attention?" came Kappa's voice. "My body is mostly composed of what I like to call shadow mass. I am, for all intents and purposes, a human-sized version of the current Angel. There are a few differences, obviously. I cannot project my AT-Field for one."

Just then, Kappa released her hold on Ritsuko, sending the shaking scientist tumbling out onto the ground. As she recovered from her spill, the faux-blonde discovered that she'd come back with something unexpected; a grenade in her hand. "Could I trouble you to drop that into me and stand back?" Kappa wondered mockingly. "I assume that you do know how to work a grenade right?"

Clearly nettled by this, Ritsuko frowned distastefully at the mass of darkness, but finally did as she was asked. Standing over the darkness, she dulled the pin and tossed the grenade into the mass of shadows, quickly backing up before the explosion was more or less vomited out.

While Ritsuko was glaring her irritation at being proven wrong, Kappa reformed into her human shape. "So," the NSO Warlord smirked. "You starting to get my point?"

"Fine," Ritsuko gritted tensely. "So what do we do instead?"

"Depends," Kappa remarked in a thoughtful manner. "Have you taught Ayanami the Breaking Point yet, Saotome? Done by an Eva, that could probably disrupt the Angel enough to get it to expel Unit One." Then the horned woman shrugged nonchalantly. "Of course, we could always sit around and wait for Yui to decide it's dramatically fitting to do something."

"Wait a second…" Misato spoke, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at Kappa. "Yui?" Then the Major heard a slight gasp escape Rei's lips. Turning about to look at the others, Misato noted that the albino wore a look of shock. As for Ritsuko, she was looking very, _very_ nervous.

"Oops. Did I say Yui?" Kappa remarked, slapping her cheek in mock surprise. "I meant Unit One." While everyone picked up on the fact that her tone just screamed 'no I didn't', the Warlord shifted about in anticipation. "Besides, you should all know by now that that Eva has a…tendency to defy your expectations."

While Kappa was enjoying the situation, Ranma slid over to Rei's side. "Who's Yui?" he asked his student.

"Our mother…," Rei got out, still stunned by Kappa's words. Then, seeing Ranma's confusion, she elaborated, "Shinji's and mine, I mean."

"Hmmm…" Ranma frowned thoughtfully. "So either Unit One's got a weird nickname with this bunch or…"

"The Evangelions are alive," Rei nodded. "You guessed that already…"

"Yeah…I wonder…" Ranma muttered. He was considering his next words…just when the situation changed dramatically. A low rumble was heard in the distance, even as odd cracks began to appear in the Angel.

"Ahhh," Kappa grinned as the cracks deepened into gaping red crevasses. "Looks like she's moving early…" Her grin deepening, the NSO warlord turned and looked at the others. "You all might want to take cover. This is going to get messy." As she spoke the Angel's shadow began to shatter into bloody chucks and, with a roar that chilled several of the NERV personal to their core, Unit One suddenly ripped its way out of sphere, covered in gore and looking like something that had just sprung forth from the very depths of Hell.

"Mein Gott…" Asuka muttered, numb with horror. "Is that what I've been piloting?" Rei and Ranma both looked on, her expression unreadable, his uneasy and questioning. In the background, Maya vomited, Misato and Ritsuko just looked queasy, while Kappa stood there smirking, producing a cigar from somewhere and lighting up.

"Quite a sight eh?" Kappa chuckled softly. "A mother's love can really be a terrifying thing…."

"What was that?" Ranma demanded, his sharp ears catching her words.

"You'll find out eventually," Kappa answered cryptically before turning to Misato. "Don't you think there's something you should be doing?" While Misato looked defiantly at the Neo Sapien, the purple giant collapsed to its knees, launching the Entry Plug towards their general position.

"Shinji!" Misato cried out in realization, rushing toward the Entry Plug. As soon as she reached it, she forced open the Plug, her eyes sparking green with the effort as she continued to cry out Shinji's name. As soon as the Plug split open, spilling forth the LCL within. There she found the boy, very dazed but apparently unhurt.

Sobbing in relief, Misato flung herself towards Shinji and wrapped her arms tightly about him. "I just wanted to see everyone one more time…" Shinji muttered dazedly.

Off in the background, Asuka stared at the two of them with a face of pure disapproval. "I thought you were going to punish him," the German muttered, drawing a hard look from both Ranma and Rei. Still glaring at Asuka, the two of them went over and aided in removing Shinji from the Plug.

Finally, when the medics were called in and took Shinji away, Misato latched onto Ranma's shoulder. "Misato?" Ranma started, looking at the still-distressed woman.

"Sorry…" Misato shook her head, letting go of him.

"It's okay," Ranma replied comfortingly. He then turned towards Asuka and Rei. "Okay you two. Why don't you get changed and we'll all meet back at the hospital, alright?"

"Yes, sensei," Rei nodded before moving away. Asuka just snorted disdainfully, but followed the albino, nonetheless.

----------------------------------------------------

Some time later, the four of them were back at NERV Medical, speaking to the doctor to whom Shinji's wellbeing had been entrusted to. "He seems to physically well," the doctor explained to them. "His condition is symptomatic of exhaustion, which is quite understandable, given the circumstances." The doctor then sighed unhappily. "However, until he wakes up, there's just no way of knowing what shape his mind will be in. What reaction he might have to his experience, never mind what level of influence his close proximity to the Angel might have on him."

"Alright. Thanks," Misato replied, looking rather haggard at this point.

"We'd like to keep him here for observation just to make sure," the doctor told her gently.

"Good idea," Misato agreed. "Just…be sure to let me know as soon as he wakes up, okay?"

While the doctor nodded to this, Rei said, "I would like to stay with him." When Misato looked at her, she added, "Until he wakes, at least. Can that be arranged?"

"Well…" Misato frowned, torn between her duties as guardian and the urge to indulge her ward. "You do have school tomorrow…"

"Eh, she wouldn't be missing anything important," Ranma grinned, drawing a questioning glare from the purple-haired woman. "What?" Ranma spoke in protest. "I barely went to school and I turned out okay."

After Misato spent some time rolling her eyes and thinking how this explained a great deal, it was decided that Rei would spend the night at the hospital, and have her assignments brought to her by Asuka if Shinji didn't wake up before school.

Once that was settled and Asuka sent home, Misato turned to Ranma. "I need a drink," she declared morosely, shaking her head anxiously. Then she fixed her gaze at the martial artist. "Care to join me? I know some good bars nearby."

"What?" Ranma got out, raising a questioning eyebrow. "Uh…don't you have plenty of booze at home?"

"Yeah, but….well, I….really don't want to go there right now," Misato admitted. "Asuka's probably going to go straight to her room to brood. And even with PenPen around…it's just too damned empty there, and…"

Sighing as he studied the woman's pained expression, Ranma told her, "Well, if it's like that…I don't really have anything I need to do. And I guess I…wouldn't mind a few rounds myself."

"Thanks," Misato told him, taking his hand in her own as her eyes moistened.

---------------------------------------

A few hours later, Ranma was carrying Misato on his back. The purple-haired woman was completely bombed after a full night of drinking and ranting, and several close brushes with a full-fledged transformation that would have left half the city in ruins.

Exhausted and rather sloshed himself, Ranma gently took Misato into her room. Carefully, he set the purple-haired woman down, and tucked her in best he could. Taking a moment to study her, Ranma smiled before turning to leave. But just as he was standing up, he felt Misato grab hold of his arm. "Don't…" Misato slurred out.

"Huh?" Ranma got out as he looked at her. Felt his insides tear up at the sight of the pain and loneliness that was so evident in her features, her gorgeous brown eyes…

"Stay with me…please?" Misato begged. Even with all the booze in her system, it was impossible not to make out her words, and the pain that drove them. And though Ranma's first impulse was to say no, the look on her face and her general demeanor made him reconsider.

"Alright," Ranma sighed after a moment, gently prying her hand loose so he could. "But first…"

Misato made a questioning sound as Ranma went to the bathroom. Then she heard the sound of water splashing, and when Ranma returned, he was a redheaded woman again.

"There," the now-female Ranma said as she lay down on top of the covers. Misato looked at her questioningly, to which Ranma gave an embarrassed smile. "Well come on. If I tried anything when you're like this, I'd never be able to look myself in the mirror again. At least this way…I can trust myself in the same bed as you."

Sniffling a bit, Misato smiled, some of the pain disappearing from her face. And more followed it when Ranma smiled at her and said, "Goodnight Misato."

Misato looked like she wanted to say something, but the booze finally caught up with her completely, and she feel into an uneasy sleep. Ranma awkwardly put an arm around her, causing the snoring woman to calm a bit and smile in her sleep. Soon the redhead himself drifted off.

-----------------------------------------------------------

The next morning at NERV Medical, Shinji was still locked in a fitful sleep. Rei was doing a kata to clear her mind as she watched over her brother. Asuka was also there, standing outside the room, debating about going in as there was still a little time before school. While the German was firmly convinced the disastrous end to the last operation was mostly Shinji's fault, Asuka did feel a little guilty about her role in it.

While Asuka was trying to decide, Shinji suddenly awoke with a start. A few moments passed as he studied his surroundings. "Ah…Ayanami?" he asked, noticing the blue-haired girl. "Uh…"

"It's okay. Everything's okay now. The Angel is gone, Shinji," Rei told him with a kindly smile. "Just rest a while."

"Okay…" Shinji nodded slowly. Then he looked shyly at his fellow pilot. "Um…could you tell Ranma I want to talk to him?"

Nodding, Rei asked, "Do you wish to train with us?"

"I…I'm not sure. Not yet," Shinji answered hesitantly. "But…I think so…"

"Okay. I will inform sensei," Rei told him. "I have to go now, but if you need anything, please let the staff know. Okay?" Shinji nodded pleasantly to this. Satisfied that Shinji seemed to be well in both mind and body, and knowing that she had school, Rei left the room. As she left, Asuka was revealed to be just outside the door, who quickly hid herself. The redhead's antics prompting a giggle from Shinji, the boy then flopped down on his bed. His thoughts consumed by the things he had experienced, both within the Angel and in his dreams.

"Mother…" Shinji murmured, still feeling the warm presence he had felt before. "I'm not sure just what the was back there but…I'll do what you said." Then he frowned unhappily, the cold reality of his life returning to him. "I just hope I'm not wasting Ranma's time…"

----------------------------------

Back at her apartment, Misato was beginning to stir. As she slowly came to, she quickly realized three things. One; Ranma was no longer beside her. Two; something smelled rather good. And three; she really shouldn't have had that last one.

Groaning from the full-blown hangover that was fogging her mind, Misato shakily got out of bed. She then headed to the kitchen, where she found Ranma working on a rather large breakfast.

"Ah, you're awake," the still-female Ranma remarked. "I've always been kinda of an early riser, so I figured I'd just get some morning training in, then get breakfast going."

"Ok…" groaned Misato, placing her hand to her throbbing temple. "Damn…I think I overdid it…"

"No problem," Ranma grinned, his voice telling her that he had been there, done that. He then handed her a glass full of a rather foamy substance. "That's a little something Pop came up with a bit before he died. It does wonders for hangovers."

Nodding as she accepted the glass, Misato took an experimental drink of the stuff. She found it to be a bit foul tasting, but no worse than the taste she already had in her mouth. Almost immediately she found her headache lessened.

"That stuff works pretty good…" Misato remarked, taking a seat as Ranma began to serve her.

"Yeah," Ranma agreed, before giving her an evil smile. "You do realize, though, that I'm gonna have to work you and Rei twice as hard since we missed morning practice…" Wincing in pain, Misato grumped a bit, to which Ranma grinned. "I really want to start training Rei in the Breaking Point soon too. I get the feeling we're going to need all the power we can muster. And soon…"

---------------------------------------------------

While the two of them were eating in peace, far away from Tokyo Three, in the country that the NSO called their homeland, a meeting was taking place. In the depths of the imperial palace, the leaders of the NSO were making plans.

"Well, the whole thing went about as we were expecting," Kappa, seeming quite pleased.

"Yes," Nix grumbled, her mood the opposite of Kappa's. "Things are getting way to predictable. Seriously, why can't we shake things up now?"

"Besides the fifty reasons we've already gone over, you mean?" came Nescaro's irritated voice. "Now, how goes work on Operation: Wake the Dead?"

"Very well, so far, Your Highness," came Blood Eagle's voice. "The samples are responding well. Collection is starting to get to be more of a problem, though."

"Eh, it doesn't matter too much," Fenir chimed in. "We've got enough to work with, I'd say."

"There're two more samples we're going to need to take to make this worthwhile," Kappa countered. "In other news, how's Operation: Romero going?"

"Not bad," Nagaii grinned malevolently. "It's amazing how much you can get away with in a city that's technically a warzone. No one's even noticed the hearses yet. Turning out to be a bitch figuring out places to bury the stuff, though."

"Excellent," Nescaro oozed. "Very well, everyone, it looks like we're in the clear till Number 13 shows up. Then, assuming we all aren't dead after that, it's time to start stirring the pot." Looking about as his subordinates or the monoliths bore the names of those in the field, he asked, "Anyone got any concerns they'd like to bring up?"

"Well, sire…" Blood Eagle started slowly.

"This isn't about that dental plan joke of yours again, is it?" Kappa wondered irritably.

"If it is, we're gonna have roast eagle on the menu tonight," Nix growled, staring daggers at the avian Neo Sapien.

"Okay, okay! Never mind," Blood Eagle grumbled, holding up his hands defensively. "Just trying to add a little levity to things. I mean, how many of these damned meetings have we had in the last month?"

"Not as many as we're likely to have," Kappa told him. "Need I remind you that things are nearing a critical phase?"

"Yes," Nescaro agreed. "Alright, everyone. The meeting's adjourned, but keep in touch. By the way, Fenir, how long before you can get home?"

"Not long," Fenir's voice answered. "Things are nearly sewn up around here."

"Oh, that's good news," Kappa cooed happily. "I've missed you…"

"I know, honey…" Fenir growled sympathetically. "It's been difficult getting through the nights without you…"

"No flirting in the conference room, you two," Nix groaned, rolling her eyes. "Anyhow, it's time to hit the bars. See ya folks."

"Yes, sire!" chorused the others.

---------------------------------------------

It was mid-afternoon in Tokyo Three when Shinji was finally released from NERV Medical. As the boy got dressed in his civilian garb, Ranma came and greeted him. "How ya feeling kid?" he asked, looking boyishly friendly.

"Not bad," Shinji answered. Frowning at the martial artist, he asked, "Um…where's Misato?"

"Oh, she had some paperwork to take care of," Ranma shrugged. "That Angel ate a lot of the city, and she's the one who has to take care of all the complaints, remember?" While Shinji was nodding to this. "As for Rei and Asuka, they're still at school, so they all asked me to tell you that they're sorry they couldn't get you out of here in person." Giving this a moment to sink in, Ranma shifted to a more serious subject. "So…how you doing?"

"Oh…I'm okay, I guess," Shinji shrugged helplessly. "I just wish…I could remember what happened."

"Oh?" Ranma replied, a bit concerned by this.

"Yeah…it's all kinda a blur….except…" Shinji paused at this, as if unsure how to phrase what he wanted to say. Then, mustering what confidence he had, the boy asked, "Well…would you still be willing to train me?"

"Of course," Ranma smiled, actually feeling a measure of relief at this. Then he gave Shinji a warm-yet-stern look. "I will warn you now, though, it's not going to be easy. We'll start off slow of course, but there's something my pop used to say, one of the few things I've ever really agreed with. A martial artist's path is filled with suffering." When Shinji looked a bit worried at this, Ranma just smiled in his usual boyish fashion. "Then again, I'd say it's a good kind of hurt."

"I…guess I understand," Shinji shrugged. "It can't be much worse than piloting the Eva…"

"Well, I can't say one way or the other about that," Ranma commented, though considering what he had seen so far, he wouldn't be surprised if Shinji was correct. Then, getting down to business, he said, "First off…let's see how ya run."

"What?" Shinji wondered, his face reflecting his bafflement.

"It's a good way to see what kind of shape you're in," Ranma explained.

"Oh…" Shinji answered, giving the matter some thought before shrugging. "Well, I guess that makes sense. So…where to, then?"

"How about the apartment?" Ranma suggested. "It's far enough away that I can get a good idea of where you are, physically." Shinji nodded after a moment's thought. "Okay. Ready whenever you are. You just concentrate on doing as well as you can, I'll meet you there."

With a second nod, Shinji took off running, while Ranma proceeded to use his normal method of improbable leaps from rooftop to rooftop to make his way back, arriving well ahead of Shinji. Waiting at the front of the apartment, Ranma watched and waited a few minutes before a heavily-panting Shinji jogged up to the building.

"Hmmm…not bad," Ranma remarked approvingly as the boy struggled to catch his breath.

"I sure don't feel like I did well…" Shinji gasped out.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Ranma smiled, honestly pleased with the boy. To his relief, Shinji was in much better physical condition than he had anticipated. "A month and you'll probably be able to do a minute mile easy. You've gotta start somewhere after all."

This said, the two then entered the building, soon finding their way to the Katsuragi apartment. "Okay, Shinji, it'll be awhile before everyone else is back, so we might as well spend some time one-on-one," Ranma said thoughtfully. "Why don't you get changed, and we'll go down to where I've been working with Misato and Rei."

Shinji nodded and quickly changed into his one of his spare gym uniforms. Soon the two had begun their run over to their impromptu training ground. For Ranma, they were taking it at a very slow pace, the martial artist taking it easy so as to make sure Shinji could keep up. The trip took a bit longer than it took traveling by hulk, but the two arrived in fairly good time. Upon their arrival, Ranma began putting Shinji through his paces.

As Ranma had promised, he kept things simple at this point, just showing Shinji a few basic katas and such though. Shinji still found himself having trouble keeping up at first, but after a few tries though he started getting into the groove, managing to follow the forms fairly well. Ranma nodded approvingly as his newest student ran through the forms. "Okay, we're off to a good start," Ranma declared, genuinely pleased with the progress being made. "We're not going to be able to have a full session until I've got a dojo, so we're just going to have to keep things simple for the moment."

The two of them continued for another hour, going over several other katas, a few exercises, and finally Ranma did something that surprised his new student. "Shinji, I want you to do something for me," Ranma told him. "I want you to hit me. As hard as you can."

"What?" Shinji asked, clearly wondering if he had heard Ranma correctly.

"I just want to get an idea how hard we're going to have to work," Ranma explained pleasantly. "Don't worry, I can take a punch pretty well." Shinji frowned his concern, but eventually relented with a nod. Gathering himself up, the boy fired as strong a punch as he could muster straight into Ranma's gut.

The martial artist barely budged. He just stood there, nodding in an appraising fashion. "Hmmm…not bad," Ranma finally decided. When Shinji gave him a look, one that of surprised disappointment and confusion, Ranma almost laughed. "Shinji, one thing you've gotta understand is that I've spent most of my life fighting, I've taken punches from people that could wreck a small building with their fists. Heck, I knew this one guy could destroy just about anything just by touching it with a finger."

"Really?" Shinji gaped, unable to even picture that.

"Really," Ranma confirmed. "So, yeah, that punch didn't hurt or anything, but I did feel it. And believe it or not, that's a good sign. I've got an idea what to work on now."

As Ranma smiled warmly, the boy considered his words. Normally, Shinji would take such a statement as just someone trying to make him feel better in the face of another pathetic failure. But somehow, Ranma struck him as being nothing less then sincere, drawing a small smile from the boy.

"Oh, don't worry," Ranma spoke, patting his new student on the shoulder, seeming to read his new student's thoughts. "I'm not gonna sugarcoat things for ya. It wouldn't do either of us any good. You just focus on doing your best and I'll focus on helping you do better," Ranma said, extending his hand to the boy. "Deal?"

Shinji hesitated a moment, then took the offered hand, giving Ranma as firm a shake as he was capable of. "Deal…sensei," Shinji told him with a small but definite smile.

Ranma nodded and gave him a thumbs-up. "Anyhow, let's head back. I don't want anyone to worry," the martial artist explained, to which Shinji nodded. Soon, the two arrived back at the apartment, where Shinji's female housemates were in full attendance by this time.

"Where have you two been?" asked Misato while Rei greeted them with a silent nod and smile, while Asuka gave them a vague nod.

"Oh, Shinji agreed to let me train him," Ranma explained. "I just took him out to the training grounds to evaluate him."

"Really?" Misato grinned brightly, looking to Shinji. The boy nodded in response. "Great! I really think it's going to do you some good, Shin-chan." For his part, Shinji looked a bit embarrassed at the nickname, but didn't say anything. However, anything else that might have been said was cut off by the ring of Ranma's cell phone.

"Hey, it's Nabiki," Ranma commented, studying his phone. Looking apologetically at the others, he said, "Excuse me."

Misato nodded, after which Ranma headed out into to the hall. While he was talking to Nabiki, the Major asked, "So, Shinji…how'd things go with Ranma?"

"Well," Shinji went, frowning somewhat. "I'm not really sure. He…said I did okay, but…"

"Oh?" Misato went, looking at her charge in concern. "You don't believe him?"

"Well…" Shinji got out, prompting a snort and much eye-rolling from Asuka, who was lounging in front of the TV.

Sighing, Misato put an arm around the boy. "Listen, Ranma's the expert on these kinds of things," she told Shinji. "And if he says you're off to a good start, you should probably take his word for it. Okay?"

As Shinji sighed and nodded, a far more exuberant male approached them. "Well, someone looks happy," Misato noted as Ranma came up to them.

"Yeah, you could say that," Ranma grinned. Then he took note of Shinji and Misato's position, and gave asked, "Something wrong?"

"No. Just a little talk," Misato answered. "So…what'd Nabiki have to say?"

"That we're good to go," Ranma grinned. When the two of them frowned in confusion, he beamed like and excitable little boy. "You know that place she found for us? Well, she's finished going through the paperwork for the new dojo. As of today, it is officially mine." When the two of them smiled at this, Ranma's own grin became that much more infectious. "I'll be going over there after work tomorrow."

"Really?" Misato asked, not quite believing that things were going so smoothely.

"Yep," Ranma confirmed. "You can come along to if ya like. Nabiki said the place will need a little fixing up, but pretty soon we'll be able to get to the serious training."

Misato was happy to hear this. Yet, there was something about the way Ranma's smile changed at that statement that had her, Shinji and Rei suddenly having a vague feeling of impending doom.

-------------------------------------------------

In another part of that building, a few floors down in the apartment inhabited by the two Neo Sapiens runaways, the heir of the Order was pacing a hole in the floor. "Damn it all," Mana growled, her frustration evident to her friend and ally.

Knowing what was bothering the princess, Mayumi began, "Listen, I know you're a little upset that you haven't found a good moment to jump Shinji…"

"Oh it's not that," Mana grumbled irritably. "I'm just bored. You'd think things would be a little more interesting around here."

Nodding, Mayumi mused, "Well…if you're really bored…maybe we could…" Instead of concluding verbally, the brunette removed her glasses and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh, we'll get to that soon enough," Mana replied, not missing the decidedly lecherous look on her cohort's face. One she responded to with an evil grin. "But beforehand…I'd like to get a little exercise…"

"I see…" Mayumi nodded, matching Mana's grin with her own. "Would you like me to help you get ready?"

"Oh you…" Mana shook her head in amusement. "Every time you help me get ready, we end up spending an extra hour."

"Can you blame me?" Mayumi countered with a wounded pout. "It's not my fault you have such a yummy little body."

"I'm amazed you said it that cleanly," Mana remarked as she unbuttoned her blouse. "I can handle my own preparations this time." Mayumi nodded and began to undress. Before long, the two of them were nude.

Mayumi approached Mana from behind and draped herself onto the other girl. "Ready?" she asked, copping a feel as she did so.

"Yes," Mana grinned dangerously. "It's time for a good Shriek!"

"As you wish…" Mayumi hissed, just before her body began to change Her hair and skin turned an odd shade of purple, taking on a slimy texture. This change progressed until her form began to shift, turning into a semi-solid goo. The substance then flowed over Mana, slowly forming itself into a skintight body suit.

"Ahhhh…" Mana moaned in delight. "I always did love doing this…hey! A little less tight in the chest!"

"Sorry," Mayumi's voice came, gurgling slightly. "Instinct."

"Sure," Mana remarked sarcastically, rolling her eyes up at this. "We'll do that later, remember?"

"Keep being a wise girl and I'll ride up you," Mayumi spoke warningly.

Mana genuinely winced at this. Mayumi was very tolerant of her wishes for the most, but she could play nasty when she felt like it. "Right, sorry," Mana quickly apologized. "And now for the finishing touches…"

At this, more of the slime rose up, forming itself into a full head mask with a fierce, fanged mouth and huge bone-white eyes around her head, a long mane of slime-hair sprouting immediately afterwards. The section of the suit beneath Mana's arms began to twitch, and sprouted a second set of arms, while the goo covering her hands reformed into monstrous claws.

"There…" spoke the resulting creature, voice an odd combination of both Mana and Mayumi's voices, though not exactly speaking in synch. "Now it's time we introduce ourselves to this city…"

With that Shriek proceeded to slip through the window and launched herself towards the next building. From there, she slipped down to the streets of Tokyo Three, searching for those seedy, crime-ridden areas that were ruled by two-legged vermin. Intent on doing some freelance fumigating.

However, Shriek's departure did not go unnoticed. A second figure soon departed from the building, silently following the symbiotic pairing. A pursuer that Shriek noticed rather quickly. The fused girls sufficiently intrigued that someone was actually doing a good job pursuing them decided to stop.

As Shriek looked about, a male voice came forth. "Spotted me, huh?"

"Yes," Shriek answered, looking in the direction the voice had come from. "So why don't you come out…so we can get a better look at you."

"Sure. Why not?" Ranma answered, stepping out of the shadows. He frowned intently as he studied the purple monstrosity. "So…you something the NSO put together on a slow day?"

"No," Shriek answered with a shake of her head. "We are new humans, but we do not follow the order."

"Hmmm," Ranma paused, examining the creature. The fact that it wasn't attacking him right now was a good sign, but that didn't make him any less suspicious. "I'd like to give you the benefit of the doubt, but…"

"But?" Shrieked wondered, both the girls who formed the creature feeling a bit nervous. While they had planned to do some fighting tonight, they had intended to take their fun and games to a slightly more inconspicuous place. And there was something about the man before them that gave them pause, mostly due to some things Mana had seen looking through the NSO database for possible allies before they'd left.

"You chi," Ranma went on. "Well, one of them, anyway. Judging from what I'm sensing of you, I'm guessing that the suit's alive?" Shriek nodded to this, both Mana and Mayumi's respect for the human before them going up a notch. "I've never seen anything like that…but the other one is a lot like someone I really wish I didn't know…"

"You know Nix?" Shriek asked worriedly.

'_Crap!' _came Mayumi's mental voice. '_I don't think we're getting out of this one without some trouble.'_

'_Calm down Mayumi,'_ Mana pleaded her companion. '_If this is who I think it is, we may have a chance to make a valuable friend. Or blow everything into bloody chunks…'_

"Yes," Ranma answered in a strained voice, completely unaware of the second conversation going on. "She killed someone very…important to me."

"I see…" Mana spoke on her own voice, sadness evident in her tone. "You're…Ranma Saotome then?" When Ranma answered with a simple nod, Mana ordered, "Mayumi. Pull back the mask."

"What?" came Mayumi's rather startled voice. Ranma raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything

'_Don't you remember where we've heard that name before'?_ Mana asked incredulously.

'_Ah, you're right! The one that got away from both the Emperor and Empress!' _Mayumi answered, considering the situation. _'I see. You think we can trust him?'_

'_Yes. But getting him to trust us will be the real problem. Especially if he finds out…' _Mana trailed off, already knowing the difficulties involved in her parentage. She had no delusions about her mother; having been on the wrong side of her temper had seen to that. And expecting for someone she had just met to trust her after learning that her mother had killed his wife just reeked of disaster. And it certainly wasn't a good way to make allies.

Sighing in defeat, Mayumi did as she was asked. The mask withdrew back into the suit, revealing Mana's face to Ranma.

"So," Ranma spoke as he studied her face. "Just who are you two and what are you planning?"

"My name is Mana. The suit's name is Mayumi. But in this form, we call ourselves Shriek," Mana explained carefully, trying not to make a verbal misstep. "And…I don't really expect words alone to be enough for you, but I will tell you this. We don't intend to kill or even hurt anyone." Then she frowned and shrugged helplessly. "Well…anyone that doesn't deserve it anyway."

Ranma didn't say anything but he didn't really need to, his expression and stance making his opinion of the situation painfully clear. "Right. It's gonna take more than that, huh?" Mana grumbled, unsurprised by this. The only answer was a nod, to which she responded to by letting out a sigh. "Well…okay. I can't say I really blame you," Mana admitted, considering the matter. Then she thought of a potential solution. "Listen, I know I'm not in any position to ask for favors, but can we meet later?" When Ranma frowned that much more intently, Mana brought her clawed hands together in a pleading gesture. "Bring Katsuragi and Ayanami, if you like. We'll lay all our cards on the table then." Seeing the way Ranma was considering this, Mana then played a trump card. "There is one piece of information we can give you."

"Oh?" Ranma asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. You see, the NSO has as much to fear from the Angels as everyone else on the planet," Mana explained. "They aren't planning on doing anything really dangerous until the 14th has been dealt with. The last one was number 12."

"What's so special about that one?" Ranma wondered.

"We don't know, and I can't tell you how I came by that information," Mana admitted. "But something big is going to happen when the 14th Messenger arrives. And whatever it is, it involves Unit One."

Ranma frowned intently at this, recalling the way Kappa referred to the horned destroyer, and the absolute savagery it had displayed when it should have been completely powerless. "What's so special about that thing, anyway?"

"Well…to me the pilot's the most special thing…" Mana commented dreamily before covering her mouth. Blushing somewhat, she then said, "Anyway, meet me in three days at the ramen stand at around…let's say four o'clock?" Ranma nodded to this, clearly interested. "Thanks. I hope I'll be able to reward your trust. See ya."

With that, the mask reformed and Shriek leapt onto a nearby building. '_Mayumi let's head home,'_ Mana thought to her companion._ 'We've got a lot of thinking ahead of us.'_

'_Of course…'_ Mayumi answered somberly.

Grinning inwardly, Mana told her, _'But once we get there…I think I could use a different type of exercise…'_

'_You mean it?'_ Mayumi asked hopefully.

'_Definitely,' _Mana grinned_. 'Sorry to make you wait so long.'_

'_Oh, don't worry about it,'_ Mayumi spoke smoothly, already looking forward to that kind of workout._ 'I am your servant after all.'_

------------------------------------------------------

The next day, Shinji joined Misato and Rei in the morning training, and Ranma worked closely with him to get him up to speed. When they were done, the children went to school, while Ranma and Misato went to their jobs at NERV. When they returned home, the time finally came to look over the new Saotome Dojo. Asuka declined to join the others, telling them that she had other plans for that day. Leaving Ranma, Rei, Shinji and Misato to all set out together to the new home for the Saotome School for Anything-Goes Martial Arts, where they found Nabiki waiting for them.

"Well, what do you think?" Nabiki smiled, gesturing to the large building behind her. In a previous life, it may have been a warehouse, or a small office building. "It's going to need a little fixing up, but it should work out."

"Well, it doesn't look bad so far," Ranma noted, liking the sturdy exterior. "Let's have a look at the inside."

Misato nodded, and the group filed in. The next few minutes were spent inspecting the new property. Apparently, the building had been a warehouse in its previous life. And as such, there was a good deal of open space to work with. "Hmmm…" Misato mulled thoughtfully. "Not bad. I figure, if Rei and Shinji want to help, we can probably get this place fixed up in a couple of days…"

"Probably less than that. At least enough for us to start training," Ranma spoke, giving everything a thoughtful look. "I think this'll work fine, Nabs."

Nabiki's eye twitched a bit but she didn't say anything. "Alright. I'll go through with buying the place. When do you think you'll be free to start the renovations?"

"Well," Misato paused, considering their collective schedules. "It's a while before our next day off…I suppose we could do it as an after work project."

"Sounds good," Ranma nodded, just before he smiled in anticipation. "Then I'll start showing you guys what Anything-Goes is all about."

"Every time you say that, I get really scared," Misato muttered warily.

"You should," Nabiki told her, looking entirely serious. Misato, Shinji and Rei all gave the woman a look.

"By the way," Misato spoke, eager to change subjects. She turned to look exclusively at Nabiki. "If you've got some time later, I'd like to discuss something else."

"Oh?" Nabiki wondered. "What about?"

"The past," was Misato's answer.


End file.
